Ferolino to head vote-buying task force
ELECTION Commissioner Aimee P. Ferolino will lead the poll body’s planned inter-agency task force against vote-buying, another official announced on Wednesday.
“Aimee Ferolino will be the chairman of the Kontra Bigay task force and therefore she will be immediately calling for meetings of the task force, drafting necessary guidelines, and implementing the mandate of the Commission on Elections on complaints about vote-buying,” Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George M. Garcia told reporters.
Mr. Garcia said last week that Comelec intends to form a team composed of representatives from law enforcement agencies and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to address vote-buying incidents relating to national and local elections.
The Department of Justice will also be part of the team.
The task force is expected to act on these reported incidents based on either formal complaints or motu proprio, meaning upon its own initiative.
“She is a very fierce commissioner and vice-chairman of the gun ban and security personnel exemption and other committees,” he noted. “Her field experience will be a very good ingredient in being chairman of this task force.”
Retired Comelec Commissioner Maria Rowena V. Guanzon earlier accused Ms. Ferolino of delaying a disqualification case against presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.
Ms. Ferolino has denied the allegation and said it was a “minor issue” that will not affect the credibility of Comelec as a whole. — John Victor D. Ordonez
