The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has intensified its campaign on “Kontra Bigay” or against vote-buying, vote-selling and abuse of state resources to ensure that the will of people prevails this coming May 12 elections.

Wil Arceño, acting Assistant Regional Director and concurrent Antique Provincial Election Supervisor, said in an interview Monday that they have reactivated the Provincial Committee Kontra Bigay at the Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) on March 14 composed of the different national government agencies that would help monitor, prosecute, and arrest those who commit the election offense.

“Different government agencies will be helping ensure that we will have an honest, orderly, and peaceful election (HOPE),” he said.

Arceño said among the agencies that would be conducting surveillance against those who commit election offenses are the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, National Bureau of Investigation, Commission on Audit (COA), and Civil Service Commission.

COA would be monitoring infrastructure projects that have no Comelec exemption and are being used to advance one’s political agenda or considered as abuse of government resources, CSC to remind the government employees to remain apolitical, Provincial Prosecutor’s Office to assist in the prosecution, and the Department of Education whose teachers will serve during the election.

“Citizen’s arrest could be implemented if the arresting person has caught any person in the act or had just committed vote-buying,” he said.

Included in the Kontra Bigay are those carrying PHP500,000 or more of money, unless the person is a cashier or a disbursing officer five days before the election day.

Arceño said a violation of Kontra Bigay has a penalty of one to six years imprisonment and perpetual disqualification to hold public office by the violator.

“We appeal to the public to help us achieve HOPE on May 12,” he said. (PNA)