Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported 277 instances of abuse of state resources (ASR) during the May 12 midterm elections. Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. highlighted this as a more insidious and systemic form of electoral interference during the exit conference of the Committee on Kontra Bigay (CKB).

According to Philippines News Agency, Commissioner Maceda emphasized that traditional vote-buying is still prevalent, but the misuse of state resources has become a more subtle and entrenched form of meddling in elections. He noted that such actions exploit government machinery to favor certain candidates, thus obscuring the boundary between public service and partisan gain.

The CKB data revealed that the 277 ASR incidents included 76 cases through various government assistance forms, 56 partisan political activities by government personnel, 31 incidents of posting campaign materials in public spaces, and 28 instances of using public funds for electoral purposes.

In addition to ASR, the committee received 722 reports of vote-buying. This included 321 cases of money distribution, 119 instances of alleged government cash assistance, 99 distributions of items with value, and 82 distributions of goods. Overall, Comelec received a total of 999 reports and complaints related to ASR and vote-buying during the May 12 elections, which was fewer than the 1,226 reports and complaints recorded in the 2022 elections.

Maceda remarked that while vote-buying remains a persistent issue, the decrease in reported cases suggests increasing public awareness, greater enforcement visibility, and possibly a growing fear of repercussions among offenders.