PIMENTEL DARES COMELEC HEAD TO PROBE
GONZALEZ OVER VOTE-BUYING CHARGE

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today challenged Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos to restrain Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez from making good on his plan to reward P10,000 to each of the 180 barangay chairmen in Iloilo City as an incentive for delivering a 12-0 victory for Team Unity senatorial candidates.

Pimentel said the monetary offer of Gonzalez is a blatant act of vote-buying and bribery of voters in gross violation of the Constitution and the Election Code for which he can be liable for imprisonment even if he claims that this will come from his personal funds or whether the giving of the money materializes or not.

He criticized Chairman Abalos for skirting the issue and pretending as if he were an ignoramus on the provision of the Election Code that will be violated.

"If Comelec Chairman Abalos is not playing deaf and dumb, he should investigate Secretary Gonzalez for violating Article XXII, section 261, paragraph (a) of the Omnibus Election Code," the opposition senator said.

Pimentel refuted Gonzalez's claim that he could not be held liable for any violation of the election law by pointing out that he is not a candidate and he is using his own money. He said that while the justice secretary is not a candidate, his son, Iloilo Rep. Raul Gonzalez III is running for reelection.

Moreover, he said those who will receive the P10,000 bonanza are barangay chairmen who are in a position to influence their constituents on how they will vote.

"Fantastic. Secretary Gonzalez doesn't know the law. Giving money for votes constitutes vote-buying even if his own money is used," Pimentel said.

The minority leader said Gonzalez does not deserve to stay in his post for his indiscretions and for either not knowing, ignoring or misinterpreting laws that he is supposed to apply in resolving legal issues and in upholding justice.

"Time to go Mr. Secretary. The longer you stay in office, the more damage you cause to public interest," Pimentel said.

Gonzalez has admitted that he offered the monetary reward to barangay chairmen during a meeting at a restaurant in Iloilo City to induce them to work for a 12-0 victory for Team Unity senatorial candidates.

Pimentel said the following provision of the Election Code will be violated by Gonzalez on account of his cash doleout plan:

Section 261 (a) of the Election Code states that a person commits vote-buying if he/she 'gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private or makes of offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.'