Voters’ lists are being confirmed in neighborhoods as early as now—household after household, name after name, envelopes of cash handed discreetly with printed names of candidates. Vote-buying is no longer a rumor or disguised relief aid; it is a machine in motion, a dirty trend that must be condemned with finality if the country wishes to ever elect leaders on merit rather than money.
Vote-buying is not just an election offense—it is the foundation of corruption. Those who buy votes are not making investments for the public good; they are securing personal gain cloaked in public office. The money handed out is not generosity—it is bait. And for every peso accepted, a voter sells his right to demand honesty, competence, and accountability. The transaction may seem simple, but its consequences are deep and enduring. It installs public officials who treat taxpayers’ money as reimbursement and public trust as collateral damage.
The mechanics of vote-buying are alarmingly systematic. Supporters of candidates are now operating like paid agents, with lists, quotas, and strategies. They know which homes are most vulnerable. They know who has accepted money in the past. They knock at doors, not to campaign, but to close a deal. This is no longer a case of isolated incidents—it is an organized operation that preys on poverty and sustains a culture of political exploitation. And yet, despite its visibility, law enforcement remains disturbingly passive, as if bribery were already part of the political tradition.
Even more disturbing is the quiet normalization of this malpractice. Many voters have come to expect the money. Some treat it as a perk of election season, not realizing the bitter irony: they are paid a pittance to surrender six years of proper governance. Others, aware of the implications, still accept the cash under the pretense of “taking the money but voting according to conscience.” This self-deception weakens democratic institutions even more. It makes a mockery of elections, reducing leadership selection into a matter of budget size and payout strategy.
This cycle must be broken at all costs. It demands not just enforcement from the Commission on Elections and law agencies, but civic awareness, cultural transformation, and fearless reporting of violations. A government born of bribery will only breed betrayal. Let candidates who buy votes be exposed, shamed, and disqualified, and let voters who still believe in democracy begin with the one thing that cannot be bought—their dignity.
