BSP, ipinalabas ang monitoring guidelines sa posibleng digital vote-buying

IPINALABAS ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ang  guidelines para sa pagmo-minitor ng supervised financial institutions ng posibleng nagawang  vote-buying activities  sa pamamagitan ng online banking at mobile wallet applications.

Ibinahagi ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia ang kopya ng BSP Memorandum No. M-2023-30, ipinalabas noong Oktubre 10 at nilagdaan ni  BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier.

“To mitigate the heightened risk of the possible use or misuse of digital channels (i.e., online banking, mobile wallet applications) in vote-buying/selling activities, [BSP-supervised financial institutions (BSFIs)] should reinforce their measures and controls to ensure that appropriate customer onboarding processes, effective farug management system (FMS) and ongoing account and transaction monitoring capabilities are commensurate to respond to these fraudulent activities,” ang nakasaad sa  memorandum.

Sinabi ng BSP sa BSFIs na ikunsidera ang sumusunod na posibleng senaryo ng pagkakalibrate ng kanilang FMS at  “account and transaction monitoring rules and parameters:”

“Concentration and/or significant number of account registrations in the area or locality where vote-buying/selling is identified to be rampant; Large cash transactions during election period; Unusual transaction flows between accounts, including the velocity and frequency of transactions (i.e, may-to-one, one-to-many) at Unusual volume and/or value in cash in/cash out channels (agents).”

Tinukoy ng  BSP ang  Section 922 ng ” Manual of Regulations for Banks/Section 922Q of the Manual of Regulations for Non-Bank Financial Institutions, in relation to Section 3 (b-1) and Section 9 (c ) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 as amended, and Section 1, Rule 3 and Rule 22 of its 2018 Implementing Rules and Regulations.”

“Under these rules, the BSP said BSFIs should submit suspicious transaction reports to the Anti-Money Laundering Council, when warranted, after due investigation of complex, unusually large transactions, unusual patterns of transactions, which have no underlying legal/trade obligation, purpose or economic justification, or the amount involved is not commensurate with the business or financial profile of the client and other transactions that may be considered suspicious,” ang nakasaad pa rin sa memorandum.

Ang  memorandum ay ipinalabas  “in line with the national government and the Commission on Election’s efforts to curb vote-buying and vote-selling, especially in the upcoming Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.”

“[T]he BSP strongly calls for the adoption of enhanced surveillance and monitoring measures to prevent the misuse of the financial institutions as conduits for this illegal activity. BSFIs are likewise urged to tighten their existing controls in detecting or preventing the possible influx of fraudulent accounts and transactions as the election date approaches,” ayon pa rin sa  memorandum.

Bago ang Oktubre  30 BSKE, lumikha ang Comelec ng Committee on Kontra Bigay na inaasahan na  imbestigahan at maghain ng kaso laban sa indibiduwal na sangkot sa  vote-buying at vote-selling.

“This committee evolved from the 2022 national and local elections’ Task Force Kontra-Bigay,” ayon sa ulat.

Sa kasalukuyang, nakapaghain na ang komite kontra  vote-buying ng disqualification petitions laban sa  limang BSKE candidates.

Ang Vote-buying and vote-selling ay kinokonsidera  bilang election offense SA ilalim ng  Section 261 ng Omnibus Election Code.

Ang sinumang tao  na mapapatunayang guilty sa election offense ay papatawan ng parusa na may pagkabilanggo ng hindi bababa sa isang taon at hindi naman lalagpas sa anim na taon.

Ang mapatutunayang guilty ay hindi papayagan na bumoto at pagbabawalan na humawak ng anumang  public office, at ang political party na mapatutunayang guilty ng vote-buying ay pagmumultahin. (Daris Jose)