NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
Massive vote-buying marred the campaign period of local officials, from the governor down to the municipal kagawad.
Supporters from the two major political quarters, Padayon Bol-anon and Abante-Bohol confirmed that vote-buying became more expensive and more blatant as cash varying from P1,000 to P20 as shown in the social media being stapled with the names of candidates who want to be identified as the giver of the cash.
Provincial Comelec Supervisor Eddie Aba encouraged voters to file their formal complaints on alleged vote-buying as he reported the final count of voters at 949,791.
He expects a relatively heavy turnout of voters being a presidential and local election combined.
Some 1,072 voting precincts in Bohol’s 47 towns and capital city of Tagbilaran will open from 6 o’clock in the morning up to 5:00 pm.
69% VOTERS RECEIVE MONEY
According to Bohol Poll 2022 opinion survey of 400 respondents conducted from Feb. 28 to March 21, Sixty-nine percent (69%), 7 out 10, have received money from candidates in May 2019 elections.
“The biggest amount they received from a single candidate was P5,000, while the smallest was P20. In total, P20,000 was the biggest amount received in the May 2019 elections and the smallest was P100,” the survey said.
It said that “the smallest amount received from one candidate in 2016 and 2019 elections did not change but the biggest amount doubled in 2019 elections from P2,500 (2016) to P5,000 (2019).”
The survey said that 52% or 5 out of 10 voters said that the vote-buy “has no impact at all with regard to their political preference, while only 15% of those voters who received the “inangayan” said it had little impact on the decision on whom to vote for.
CLOSE TO P1M VOTERS LISTED
Meanwhile, there is now a total of 949,791 registered voters in 1,109 barangays of the 47 towns and a city in the province in the coming May 9, 2022, local and national elections.
But there was no estimate yet on how many or percentage of the total registered voters are expected to cast their votes.
As expected, the third district comprising 19 municipalities has the biggest voting population with a total of 320,786.
This is followed by the first district of 14 towns and a city with a total of 316,471, and the second district comprising 14 towns with 312,534.
There are 1,072 voting centers; 1,723 clustered precincts; and 6,143 established precincts.
The top ten voting populations are the following: Aside from Tagbilaran City which has a total of 70,254, Ubay has the biggest with 50,205.
This is followed by Talibon, 42,762; Carmen town with 35,225; Inabanga, 31,877; Dauis, 31,781; Loon, 30,156; Panglao, 28,052; Jagna, 24,338; Guindulman, 24,148; and Calape, 22,819.
First district towns: Alburquerque, 7,775; Antequera, 10,139; Baclayon, 14,180; Balilihan, 4,669; Catigbian, 16,269; Corella, 6,084; Cortes, 11,748; Maribojoc, 14,759; and Sikatuna, 5,141.
Second district: Bien-Unido, 18,684; Buenavista, 22,032; Clarin, 16,375; Dagohoy, 13,425; Danao, 13,834; Getafe, 21,499;Pres. Carlos Garcia, 16,793; Sagbayan, 16,758; San Isidro, 7,246;San Miguel, 17,329; and Trinidad, 23,715
Third district: Alicia, 17,111; Anda, 13,817; Batuan, 9,920; Bilar, 13,418;Candijay, 21,628; Dimiao, 11,141; Duero, 14,109; Garia-Hernandez, 18, 085; Lila, 7,780; Loay, 12,917; Loboc, 13,855; Mabini, 19, 861; Pilar, 19,243; Sevilla, 8,146; Sierra-Bullones, 17, 853; and Valencia, 18,191. (with reports from RVO)