There’s a positive development in the just concluded elections that people are hoping would be pursued to its legal conclusion and would not be ningas cogon or a mere flash in the pan. Still, the publicity that accompanied the arrest created a groundswell of reporting about more alleged cases of vote buying, Banac said. The PNP responded to the complaints, recording arrests in 225 vote buying cases nationwide. Putting even one candidate behind bars for buying votes could be enough to make people think twice about committing the offense. The hassle is a long way from imprisonment, but it’s a start in the effort to discourage vote buying.

Source: Philippine Star May 23, 2019 16:01 UTC