The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed the vote-buying complaint against senatorial candidate and incumbent Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar after receiving what it described as a “satisfactory explanation” regarding her involvement in a controversial campaign event.
In a post on her official Facebook page, Villar shared a copy of a letter signed by Comelec Committee on Kontra Bigay Vice Chairperson Teopisto Elnas Jr. stating that the poll body is no longer pursuing charges against her. The letter explained that Villar had adequately clarified the circumstances surrounding a campaign sortie in Imus, Cavite, that featured a cash raffle.
The event in question was uploaded on social media after the campaign period had begun on February 11, 2025. The video appeared on the Facebook pages of mayoral candidate Alex Advincula on February 12 and Team AJAA Imus on February 16, raising suspicions of vote-buying. However, Villar maintained that the event took place on February 9, before the official campaign period, and was organized by ALLTV2 Network as a promotional activity where she attended merely as a guest.
“You countered that the said event referred to is a promotional event of ALLTV2 Network… Several Affidavits of Attestation were likewise submitted to attest that the event indeed occurred on 9 February 2025,” Elnas wrote. “Upon evaluation of the evidence gathered, the undersigned deems the same insufficient to proceed.”
Villar welcomed the decision, saying she is “pleased” that the case has been dismissed for lack of basis. “From the very beginning, I stood firm that no laws were broken,” she said. “The truth is clear: the event in question was held before the official campaign period and was a legitimate promotional activity, not a political one.”
The congresswoman added that she remains committed to serving the public with “integrity, commitment, and purpose.”
Camille Villar is the daughter of business magnate Manny Villar and is currently seeking a Senate seat under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition. She is also the first national candidate to have been served a show cause order for alleged election offenses in the 2025 campaign cycle.