SINABI ni Pangulong Duterte na bahagi na ang vote-buying ng eleksyon sa bansa matapos namang ang ulat ng insidente ng pagbebenta at pagbili ng boto.
“The practice of buying votes has been an integral part of an election in the Philippines. ‘Yang pagboto, lahat ‘yan. Walang hindi nagbibili ng boto dito maniwala ka. ‘Yang… Walang hindi nagbibili ng boto. Sinong — ituro mo kung sino ang hindi nagbili ng boto,” sabi ni Duterte sa isang ambush interview matapos bumoto sa Davao City.
Idinagdag ni Duterte na mananatili ang vote-buying hanggat nananatiling mahirap ang Pilipinas.
“You know when you start to give money… Sabi ko nga sa Comelec, it is not because I’m buying the vote of the fellow, it’s because I’m giving him money to go to the presinto, cast his vote, and go home. Hindi naman lahat ng tao may pera. Or you send food to your leaders who are here sacrificing and waiting for the food to eat so that they can last until the last vote is counted,” dagdag pa ni Duterte.
Samantala, sinabi ni Duterte na ipinauubaya na muna ng Palasyo sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) na magpaliwanag sa nangyaring pagkaaberya ng voting couting machines (VCM) sa maraming bahagi ng bansa.
“That would be early. Comelec is an independent body and if there’s any malfunction there or if there’s any aberration at all in the procedure or process in the conduct of the election, let Comelec explain first to the people before we even initiate a sort of an investigation,” dagdag ni Duterte.