Popular e-wallet GCash is imposing transaction limits to its users days ahead, during and after the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections this October 30.
Starting Friday, October 20, the financial app said that daily limits will be imposed on its “Send Money” service until next Tuesday, October 31 “to promote clean and fair elections.”
“If you encounter an error in your Send Money transactions with a message ‘Sorry, we’re unable to process your request,’ you might have reached your transaction limit for the day,” GCash said on its website.
According to GCash, the following transactions will be temporarily unavailable once the limit transactions for the day have been reached:
- Express Send
- Send via QR
- GCash Padala
- Request Money and Generate QR
The app said the transaction limit will be lifted on November 1.
GCash said the measure is its way of supporting the Commission on Elections‘ (Comelec) Resolution No. 10946, also known as “Kontra Bigay.”
“Financial institutions like GCash recognize the vital role in upholding the integrity of the elections by preventing the improper use of its services or any digital financial tools,” it explained.
“Thus, in line with the fight against vote buying and to promote a clean and fair election, GCash has decided to impose transaction limits during this period,” the e-wallet added.
Resolution No. 10946 prohibits vote buying and vote selling in line with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections under the following provisions seen in Article III, Section 21:
Any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.
Any person, association, corporation, group or community who solicits or receives, directly or indirectly, any expenditure or promise of any office or employment, public or private, for any of the foregoing considerations.
Online monetary transactions are also included in other prohibited forms of vote buying and vote selling in the “Kontra Bigay” resolution under Article III, Section 22.
“The act of vote-buying and vote-selling includes the giving of money through digital or online banking transactions or any other mobile wallet applications,” it said.
