MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Vote-buying is not a new phenomenon in the Philippines, but this practice has definitely kept up with the times!

Gone are the days when political candidates hand out envelopes containing cash to encourage the masses to vote for them.

Free t-shirts and free take-out meals from Jollibee are still the norm, but a new vote-buying scheme has emerged: free smart phones.

Just ask the ‘Jejomar Binay for President’ campaign. It’s called the BinayPhone.

Smart move, or opening a pandora’s box?