"Vote-buyers" arrested in Mlang, North Cotabato
Local News • 23:15 PM Sat May 11, 2019
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Police accounts the cash sezied from four suspected vote-buyers in Barangay Kalibo, Mlang, North Cotabato Friday night. (PNP photo)
MLANG, North Cotabato -- Four persons were arrested by police for violation of election laws after they were caught in possession of more than P200,000 cash and campaign materials for gubernatorial candidate Roger Talinio and vice gubernatorial candidate Emmylou Talinio Mendoza.
Two of the four persons were lay leaders of Catholic Church or "Kaabags."
They were allegedly involved in vote buying activities in Barangay New Kalibo, Mlang, North Cotabato on Friday night.
The "Kaabags" were identified by the police as Sonny Dafielmoto Pasquin, 55, and Joel Forden Bolero, 54, both of Barangay New Rizal, Mlang town.
The two others, a man and a woman, were identified as residents of Carmen, hometown of incumbent Gov. Mendoza, who is running for Vice Governor, where her father, who is running for Governor, is the incumbent Mayor.
They were identified as Mateo Cabrillos Cuateros, 52, and Christine Punzalan Esparagoza, 33, both of Barangay Poblacion, Carmen town.
The four are now detained at the M'lang Municipal Police Station for violation of election laws on vote buying and for disobedience to persons in authority for refusing to heed police orders for them to get off a white pick up where they hid for over an hour after they were cornered by policemen and local authorities.
They only opened the pick-up and yielded when a lawyer representing Gov. Talino-Mendoza, a certain Atty. Andiano, and the personal staff of the governor, Jessie Enid, arrived at the scene over two hours later.
Recovered from the suspects, one of whom was wearing a campaign t-shirt with the name of gubernatorial candidate Roger Talino, Lala and TUCP Party List, were P206,600 in cash and two pieces of bond paper with a list of names and their corresponding signatures which police said are proof that they have received money from the suspected "vote buyers."
Also seized by the police was a white Strada pick-up truck with plate number LGM 741.
The suspects were brought to the M'lang Police Station where they were booked and detained.
Lawyers from PDP Laban Party are now preparing charges against those believed involved in the vote buying operations.
This is the third vote buying incidents linked to the Talino Father and Daughter political tandem of the Nacionalista Party which is now locked in a tight political race with candidates from the PDP Laban.
The camp of father-daughter tandem is yet to issue statement about the incident.