FACT CHECK: Spliced video falsely claims Comelec hit Oriental Mindoro bet for vote-buying
Claim: A Facebook video shows Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia criticizing an incumbent Oriental Mindoro official for being present during government aid distribution, a prohibited act during the election period.
Rating: ALTERED VIDEO
Why we fact-checked this: The video posted on Facebook has garnered 34,000 views, 172 shares, and 185 reactions as of writing. It shows Garcia speaking to the media alongside pictures of Ernilo Villas, mayor of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, who is now running for vice mayor.
”Ngayon, meron tayong na-monitor na tumatakbo diyan sa bandang Mindoro na kung saan yung mismong incumbent — na tumatakbo — present during the distribution,” the Comelec chair supposedly said in the video.
(Now, we are monitoring a candidate in the Mindoro area, where an incumbent official — who is also running in the elections — was present during the distribution.)
The post represents itself as a news report from “Bulalacao Ngayon,” with the headline “Comelec Chairman Garcia, binatikos ang paglabag sa election ban dahil sa pamamahagi ng ayuda nina Mayor Villas.”
(Comelec Chairman Garcia criticized violations of the election ban because of Mayor Villas’ cash aid distribution.)
The first paragraph of the report reiterates the headline’s claim, further explaining that Villas’ actions are prohibited under the election ban. It goes on to explain that a complaint was filed against Villas and his wife, who is running to replace him as mayor, for allegedly giving out P2,000 per person under an aid program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The facts: The video featured in the post was spliced to make it appear as if Garcia is pertaining to Negros Oriental’s mayoral and vice mayoral bets.
The original video of Garcia, uploaded on April 28, shows the Comelec chair talking about an Occidental Mindoro official accused of alleged abuse of state resources. The clip used in the circulating Facebook video is spliced, cutting out the word “Occidental” from Garcia’s statement. The video’s headline and first paragraph are likewise false, as they claim that Garcia himself had criticized Villas.
However, the rest of the video’s caption is true. On April 22, Comelec issued separate show cause orders against the Villas couple for their involvement in alleged vote-buying incidents. Even with this order, Garcia himself had never publicly issued a statement against the Villas couple, contrary to what the post’s caption claims.
The poll body has also said that it is investigating the unnamed Occidental Mindoro official that Garcia was referring to in the original video.
Vote-buying prohibitions: It was Comelec’s Committee on Kontra-Bigay that issued the order narrating the alleged violations of the Villas-Villas tandem.
According to Comelec’s order, the cash distributions were said to have been conducted on March 27 and 28, and on April 2, 2025, at a covered court in Barangay Poblacion, Bulalacao, reportedly made “under the pretense of a work program of the DSWD.”
The show cause order against the Villas couple says their actions constitute a possible violation of Section 261 (a) of Batas Pambansa 881 of the Omnibus Election Code, as implemented by Section 26 (k) of Comelec Resolution 11104.
These sections prohibit the release, disbursement, or expenditure of public funds for social welfare and services projects, unless authorized or exempted by the Comelec. Exemptions are only allowed if elective officials, candidates, or aspirants are not present during the distribution of aid. (READ MORE: Which forms of ‘ayuda’ are allowed, banned during the 2025 elections?)
Previous fact-checks: Rappler has published several election-related fact checks in the run-up to the May 12 elections:
- FACT CHECK: Comelec not hiring poll watchers for May 12 elections
- FACT CHECK: 2025 midterm elections on May 12, no date change
- FACT CHECK: No 24-hour curfew in Cavite from May 1 to 15, 2025
- FACT CHECK: Post links Pasig City hall project to Vico Sotto 2028 Senate bid without proof
- FACT CHECK: National ID not required to vote in May 2025 elections
– Shay Du/Rappler.com
Shay Du is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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