In this B-Side episode, Froilan C. Calilung, a political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, talks about the legalities and loopholes that have allowed vote buying to become part of the Philippine political system, with structures built by those with power and money.

“We could simply say that poverty is one of the contentious issues why we have vote buying, and why it is still very much prevalent in our society nowadays,” he tells BusinessWorld reporter Alyssa Nicole O. Tan. “Many Filipinos actually see election time as a frivolous event, more like a carnival of sorts if I may say.”

Recorded remotely in December 2021. Produced by Brontë H. Lacsamana, Jino D. Nicolas, and Sam L. Marcelo.