Gubernatorial bet files disqualification vs CWS Party-list over vote-buying accusation

A gubernatorial candidate in Batangas, Jay Ilagan, has filed a disqualification case against the CWS Party-list before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), accusing them of vote-buying.

The alleged vote-buying occurred during the Barako Fest celebration in Lipa City from February 13 to 15, where three sedan cars were given away as prizes.

Ilagan presented video evidence, including a live video by Batangas vice governor aspirant Lucky Manzano, showing Vilma Santos-Recto announcing the mechanics of a car giveaway contest sponsored by CWS Representative Edwin Gardiola.

The contest involved a 'hands-off' challenge where the last participant with their hand on a car would win it.

Ilagan contends that this giveaway constitutes vote-buying, which is prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code and Comelec regulations.

The activity also took place within the 90-day national campaign period for the upcoming May 2025 elections.

Topics in this story

Explore more stories about these topics.

🤖

This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.

News Sources

See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.