Around 158 cases of vote buying have been recorded by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Kontra Bigay Committee in line with the May 2025 midterm elections.

Assistant Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesi Lanete said: "The Comelec already has a mechanism to investigate and prosecute these election offenses... however, if there is probable cause, this will be filed in regular courts handled by the Department of Justice (DOJ)."

Ninety cases of vote buying or vote selling, 56 cases of abuse of state resources, and 12 cases of committing both violations were recorded by the central monitoring system of the Committee on Kontra Bigay.

The Comelec released show cause orders (SCO) for 34 local and national candidates to explain the alleged vote buying cases that they faced as of April 24. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS