MANILA - Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes on Thursday appealed to candidates and their camps to refrain from resorting to campaign giveaways.
Brillantes said existing regulations on campaign giveaways are rather vague, making it risky for candidates and their supporters.
He said the poll body may release next week the acceptable threshold amount for the value of allowable campaign giveaways. This is crucial to determining what can be considered as a form of vote buying.
Brillantes said local election officers will conduct preliminary fact finding on cases of vote buying before it becomes a preliminary investigation by the Comelec law department, which then endorses it to the poll body for action.
For example, Brillantes said water can be given out during rallies to prevent heat stroke. However, if it's a big bottle of water that's being given out, it maybe covered by regulation.
"Wag na kayo mamigay kahit ano. pag namigay may risk pwede kayo magkamali," he said.