Manila, Philippines– Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel reminded Filipinos to be alert against fraud in the upcoming midterm election in 2025.
Pimentel supported the enactment of stricter laws against vote-buying, even as he lamented the difficulty of preventing electoral fraud.
He also urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to pursue prosecution against those responsible for electoral fraud.
“This is the ultimate insult to the Filipino people,” Pimentel said. “This is the gravest crime that a syndicate or a politician or a person can commit against the Filipino people.”
In this regard, Senator Pimentel explained how election fraud happens in the manual counting of votes.
He also reminded Filipinos and legislators to be more alert, especially when using the new technology, the automated counting machine.
Comelec recently announced the new company that won the ACM bid under Miru Systems.
The commission has also said that the first batch of ACM will arrive in the Philippines in the months of June or July this year.
In order to familiarize Filipinos with the new counting machine, the Comelec will launch information campaign materials on various platforms.
Additionally, from December 2024 to February 2025, the electoral boards will conduct a demo with voters to familiarize Filipinos with the new ACM.
For now, voter’s registration is still open for Filipinos who want to be voters before the midterm election until September 30, 2024.