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GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Comelec reports fewer vote-buying incidents on election day
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has received fewer reports of vote-buying and vote-selling for Eleksyon 2025. According to the Comelec Commitee on Kontra Bigay (CKB), a total of 1,126 incidents of vote-buying and vote-selling were reported to the poll body for the May elections as of June 5 — fewer than the 1,200 reported during the 2022 national elections. Of the figures, 677 were related to vote-buying and vote-selling, and 227 were linked to abuse of state resources (ASR). The regions with the highest number of complaints were Regions III, IV-A, NCR, V, and I. Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr., chairperson of CKB, attributed the reduced illegal activities to the increasing public awareness, enforcement visibility, and a growing fear of consequences among the Eleksyon 2025 bets. 'Compared to previous elections, bumaba ang incidents, notwithstanding the number of reporting channels, notwithstanding the higher coverage. Nonetheless, hindi nahigitan ang previous local and national elections. We will take that as a win,' Maceda Jr. told reporters. (Compared to previous elections, there were fewer incidents, notwithstanding the number of reporting channels, notwithstanding the higher coverage.) 'Mas maraming tao ang nagsusumbong ngayon. Mas alam natin ang karapatan natin. Mas maganda ang media coverage. Mas maraming tao ang maybe they realized mali pala ang ginagawa nila. So kahit ito ay isang systemic matter that is hard to eradicate, the people itself, have said no,' he added. (More people are lodging complaints. We are now more aware of our rights and there is improved media coverage. Many candidates may have realized this is wrong and rejected it despite being a systemic matter.) In February, the Comelec said it will impose stricter measures to curb vote-buying, vote-selling and prevent the ASR for the May elections as it relaunched the committee mandated to address vote-buying and vote-selling. It also partnered with e-wallet applications such as GCash and Paymaya to address vote-buying via digital transactions. ASR refers to the misuse of government resources, whether material, human, coercive, regulatory, budgetary, media-related, or legislative, for electoral advantage. This usually includes the use of government facilities and vehicles for campaign-related activity but Maceda said the Comelec will also presume ASR is committed if the disbursement of aid or subsidies came with campaign materials or with candidates and their family. Also constituted as ASR are the use of government-funded media platforms to promote a candidate, the unjustified revocation or selective granting of government assistance during the campaign period and the sudden surge in hiring of job orders or contract-based orders when engaged in partisan electoral activities. —Sundy Mae Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Aaron Tau, Lawrence Lui begin Road To UFC quest for contracts with promotion
Tau and City Kickboxing (CKB) teammate Lawrence Lui will both be fighting for UFC contracts over the coming month in the promotion's Road To UFC series at flyweight – a bracket-style tournament pitting the best prospects in the Asia-Pacific region against each other – at flyweight and bantamweight, respectively. While some may call it a shot at redemption for Tau, he's looking at it from a different direction. 'In Māori, you call it utu; the cost. The cost of me losing, to myself, to my family, to my coaches, to my supporters, to Aotearoa, is I have to do this tournament,' he told the Herald. 'I'm happy to pay that cost because I think this redirection was a part of the bigger picture and what was actually meant for me, and how I'm meant to proceed in this sport. I wouldn't say it's so much redemption, it's just alignment. 'I was realigned with what actually is for me, and I think my direction of travel now is going to be a lot quicker because the flyweight roster is not as big as the bantamweight roster, so if I get a few good wins in a row, Uncle Dana [White] is going to be my best friend real quick.' The tournament offers the athletes the potential for three bouts over a six-month period, the first of which takes place this week at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China. Tau (9-1) will meet undefeated Indonesian prospect Rio Tirto (8-0); a bout that had some heat sprinkled over it after Tau caught Tirto and his team appearing to take video of the Kiwi during a training session. For Lui, it's an opportunity that he wasn't initially certain would eventuate. Former CKB fighter and now striking coach at the UFC PI in Shanghai Mark Timms suggested him for the tournament, and Lui was originally listed as the alternate. 'Euge [Bareman] and Brogan [Anderson] told me that there was a high chance that someone was going to pull out, and, three weeks later, someone did, and here I am,' he said. Had it been an opportunity with less on the line, Lui said he might have approached it differently. But upon hearing he would be the alternate, he began training as if he had a fight. Lui (5-1 and champion with local promotion Shuriken Fight Series) will meet experienced Chinese athlete Qinghe Zhang (16-7-1) in Shanghai and although he admits the opportunity came earlier than he might have anticipated, he was ready for it. 'I did think I would have a few more fights before [getting] here, but honestly, I will take this opportunity or any opportunity that comes my way and make the most out of it. 'Give me an inch, I'll take a mile.' Road To UFC quarter-finals Aaron Tau v Rio Tirto (flyweight) – episode two, from 1am Friday Lawrence Lui v Qinghe Zhang (bantamweight) – episode four, from 1am Saturday All episodes are broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass, the promotion's subscription platform, and ESPN.
NZ Herald
14-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
UFC 317: Kai Kara-France to challenge Alexandre Pantoja for UFC flyweight title
'So to hear it from the UFC, from Dana [White], that it's happening, [I'm] just ready to work for the next seven weeks and bring my best to bring another belt back to CKB [City Kickboxing]; back to Aotearoa New Zealand.' The Kiwi, currently ranked at No 4 in the division, comes into the bout off the back of a first-round TKO over former title challenger Steve Erceg in Perth last August. That win saw him emerge as the logical choice as Pantoja's next challenger, and the 32-year-old has spent the majority of 2025 preparing as such. 'I've had to pull back heaps of times just because you don't want to peak too soon. It's like a preseason for rugby, that's what a fight camp is. It's a preseason, so you can only do it for so long before you're not actually getting fitter, you're just burning out,' he said. 'At the start of this year, I was guns blazing, didn't go to Vegas for the Warriors game, didn't go to Sydney for the [Sean] Strickland-DDP [Dricus du Plessis] fight, didn't go to Saudi Arabia for Izzy's [Adesanya] fight - there are a lot of things that I didn't want to distract myself because, obviously I thought I was going to be fighting earlier, but I just wanted to focus on the training and to prioritise that. 'I'm glad I did that because now, seven weeks out, if you weren't prepared, it's not that much time. But if you've already been training hard and really putting in the work, there's not much that we need to be doing now. 'It's just sticking to the process, keep turning up, and that's how we're going to bring home this belt; just keep doing what we're doing and the more time the better.' It will be the second time he has fought Pantoja, and doubles as a chance at revenge for Kara-France. Kara-France and Pantoja first squared off during season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter – a reality TV show where prospects compete for a UFC contract – in 2016. Pantoja eliminated Kara-France in the quarter-finals, claiming a unanimous decision win in the two-round exhibition bout. Now, nine years on, Kara-France said there was nothing he could take from that bout, given the circumstances. 'I had to cut weight every week for that fight. I'm not taking away anything from Pantoja, but I felt drained already before that fight even started, so I didn't showcase my skill. I was performing at probably 50%, just making flyweight every week.' It's the second time Kara-France will have fought for UFC gold, after a bout for the interim flyweight title against Brandon Moreno in 2022 saw him fall to a third-round TKO following a pinpoint kick to the liver. Kiwi heavyweight Justin Tafa has also been announced to compete on the card at UFC 317, taking on Brazilian Jhonata Diniz. Both athletes are coming into the bout off the back of TKO losses. The card will take place as the main event in the UFC's International Fight Week – an annual week-long celebration which includes the promotion's Hall of Fame festivities and several other activations for fans and athletes to enjoy. There will be Kiwi action outside of the cage during the week too, with former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to be inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame for his interim middleweight title bout against Kelvin Gastelum in 2019. The bout was a five-round slugfest, with Adesanya claiming a unanimous decision win, and began a run of 12 UFC title fights in a row for The Last Stylebender. 'What he's done in the sport is once in a lifetime. Someone that's been able to make waves as fast and cement a legacy that he has, he's got nothing to prove and he's something that I've always looked up to as the pinnacle,' Kara-France said of Adesanya. 'The one thing that I've always taken away from Izzy is his self-belief. He knew he was going to be a world champion before anyone else, and [I] definitely take that on board.' Confirmed UFC 317 bouts Main event: Charles Oliveira (2) v Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight title Middleweight: Paulo Costa (12) v Roman Kopylov (14) Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (9) v Renato Moicano (10) Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz v Justin Tafa Flyweight: Brandon Royval (1) v Manel Kape (6) Middleweight: Jack Hermansson v Gregory Rodrigues
