Department of Research, Strategic Studies and International Relations 05-02-2025

The Las Piñeros Movement for Change (LPMFC) on Wednesday said they will form a group consisting of 10 people in each of the 16 barangay of Las Piñas, which will be part of a “strike force team” tasked with identifying locations where vote buying and selling occur in the upcoming midterm elections.

Leonila Mende, chairman of LPMFC, made the announcement as her group expressed support for the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) proposal to enforce “warrantless arrests” on individuals involved in vote buying and selling during the election period.

The strike force team will work alongside the police, military, and other law enforcement agencies to pinpoint instances of vote buying, arrest those involved in vote selling, and address other election-related crimes.

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“Concerned citizens in Barangay Pulang Lupa Uno have decided to form a group similar to an election watchdog for the upcoming elections because vote buying has been rampant in many areas since October 2024,” Mende said.

The LPMFC clarified that all its members will undergo training but will not be provided with weapons, blades, or any items that could harm those they arrest.

They will follow Comelec’s directive that any individual arrested without a warrant must be taken to the nearest police station for legal proceedings, Mende added.

Also, money or any valuable goods, sample ballots, and campaign materials used in vote buying and selling must be immediately confiscated and placed under the custody of the apprehending law enforcement officers.