POLICE Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas director John Bulalacao warned politicians in the region against vote-buying and other illegal activities on Monday’s elections.

Police Brigadier General Bulalacao made the warning after he received information of rampant vote-buying and vote-selling few days before Monday’s midterm polls.

Bulalacao said he has given orders to all police officers in the region to arrest violators of election laws, and if necessary, the use of force is permitted if they are armed and they resist arrest.

The regional police director further stated political candidates should exemplify the traits of a true leader, and they should therefore abide by the law, avoid immoral and unethical acts and respect the political will of the people.

“They should never resort to vote-buying, coercion or use of threat to win the election,” Bulalacao said.

The police official also asked candidates to adopt fair play and to respect the sanctity of the ballots.

“I am enjoining our community members to be vigilant and proactive by reporting to us cases of vote-buying and other illegal acts during the election period so that appropriate police action maybe done against them,” he added.