Suplico Urges Iloilo SP to Condemn Vote-Buying

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Fifth District Board Member Rolex Suplico has urged the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Iloilo to pass a resolution condemning the persistent practice of vote-buying, calling it a “gateway to big-time corruption.”

In a privilege speech delivered during Tuesday’s regular session, Suplico appealed to his fellow provincial lawmakers to take a firm stance against the illegal election practice, which he said continues to undermine democracy and erode public trust in government.

“We need to break this cycle of big-time corruption,” he said.

“We cannot allow vote-buying to continue unhindered. I know that we can do this by starting with ourselves.”

He cited a 2025 election incident in which a news outlet falsely linked him to an alleged vote-buying operation in Barotac Viejo just days before the polls.

Suplico denied any involvement and described the report as an attempt to discredit his candidacy, noting that no formal complaint or case had been filed.

He claimed that since starting his political career in 1995, he had never engaged in vote-buying.

“It saddens me that some consider it already a normal feature of our elections,” he said.

“Vote-buying undermines and bastardizes our democracy. It selects low-quality politicians, as it drastically affects how we choose our candidates.”

Suplico warned that candidates who engage in vote-buying are likely to recover their expenses through corrupt practices once in office.

He stressed that it is the public who ultimately suffers, through substandard infrastructure and the misuse of government funds.

“If you will spend a lot of money to buy votes, and you will win, you will then recover this from government projects,” he said.

“Spend big-time; buy votes big-time; win big-time; and recover big-time. And we will have substandard projects, big-time.”

Suplico also criticized a “husband-and-wife team” whom he described as a political “power couple” in Iloilo.

He alleged that the couple engaged in massive and systematic vote-buying up to election day, calling it an operation “never seen before in the province in recent memory.”

Although he did not name them, the only couple who ran in the provincial elections were Binky and Raul “Boboy” Tupas.

Raul, Suplico’s cousin, ran for vice governor but lost to a political newcomer.

Binky won the race for 5th District representative.

They campaigned under the “BIBO” banner, a portmanteau of their names.