But not all voters from the village got their P1,500 each with the
condition to vote for her, her vice mayor, and her congressman. Thirty men and
women in the crowd were caught possessing fake stubs.
“Nanggaling pa iyan sila sa karatig bayan,” another
supporter of the mayor butted - in when someone asked where these people came
from.
The aide could not
determine if those spurious stubs were commissioned by the rival candidate to
wreak havoc to their bribe attempt or they were just enterprising individuals
who copied the ticket after the leader of the candidate distributed them around
the village a day before.
Inciting to Anger the Voters of a Rival Bet
It can be recalled an
incident in the past election when a challenger in the district ran against the
sitting congressman. When a supporter of the former told him at this office the
solon would be distributing wads of P500 and P1,000 bills for hundreds of
voters at a village, he ordered his errand boy to go immediately to the
printing press owned by an ally with a thick reading glasses to forge the stubs.
“Magpagawa ka ng mga isanlibo at ibigay mo doon sa kabilang
barangay. Kopyahin mo iyong araw at oras ng bigayan”.
The challenger, known
for his shrewdness, wanted to disappoint and anger the recipient voters who
would wait there until kingdom come without the monies that would never arrive. That
hoax would benefit the challenger as they would vote for him.
During the 2019
election in Dagupan City, voters who line up as they wait to vote in a public
high school complained to this writer that a leader of a mayoralty bet gave
only P3,000 in a household composed of five voters. “Hindi namin binoto
iyong kandidato. Masama ang loob namin kasi sa kabilang barangay ang bigayan ay
P3,000 kada isa bakit dito kada bahay”.
The leader pocketed a big portion of the monies intended for the gullible
voters. Sleaze at its finesh, eh?
One of the smarting
voters computed that if the leader of the candidate did not give P3,000 to each
of the 100 voters, he was P300,000 richer where he could pay the down payment
of a brand new car. Many of these leaders have been seen riding in new mini
cars and motorcycles that they probably bought in installment basis for the
four-wheel and cash for the two-wheel using the monies they stole from their
patron. After the election many of the leaders like these around the country
were either shot to death or mauled by the thugs of the politicians.
Distribution of the Monies to the Voters
But with the advent of
technology and the efficient bar coded stub distribution, that antics of those
fake voters from the other town could no longer be used to exchange them with
bills inside the envelop or bag of groceries composed of kilos of rice, dozens
of canned goods, noodles, and packs of coffee inside the warehouse where the
congressman, mayor, her vice mayor, and their slate do their stumps
complemented by declamations, dances, corny jokes, and others.
“Pagkatapos niyan kaming mga security details ay edi-divide namin
sila sa dalawang lines palabas doon sa exit sa likod,” the aide
explained to me.
As they slowly exited,
the candidates wait for them shaking their hands and tapping their shoulders
with some quips soliciting support and small talks.
“Iyong mga tao
namin doon kukunin ang stubs habang iyong katabi ay magbibigay ng tatlong sobre
at sasabihin na iyong isa kay mayor, iyong isa kay vice mayor, iyong last kay
congressman”.
Each inside the white envelopes were the bills and decals about the
member of the slate and their credentials and accomplishment.
Some supporters of the candidates gave calendars, tee shirts, and other
paraphernalia like sample ballots, too.
“Lahat ng barangay dito ay naka schedule one week bago mag election
lahat sila bibigyan kung ano ang binigay sa mga voters dito”.
The security man said
that a week before the May 13, 2019 election the dole outs would become
bigger as the candidate wanted to make sure he wins the poll and neutralized
the votes from the bloc voting Iglesia ni Cristo Church that endorsed the other
camp.
The local government unit, where these two rich mayorship rivals flood
with monies and goods, has more or less 100, 000 voters.
