Efforts by the Philippine election commission to curb rampant vote-buying and alcohol consumption before elections next week turned into farce on Wednesday as other branches of government blocked its orders.

The Supreme Court suspended a Commission on Elections order for a five-day liquor ban, while the central bank said another order banning the carrying of large sums of money was illegal.

The commission's order would have barred banks from handing over more than 100,000 pesos ($2,400) a day to customers until after Monday's mid-term elections, to prevent politicians from using the money to bribe voters.

It also would have made it illegal for anyone to carry more than half a million pesos in cash until polls close.

"We're trying to prevent the circulation of cash, which can be used for vote-buying," its chief Sixto Brillantes told reporters.

However the ban, which had been kept secret to ensure corrupt politicians and their aides did not withdraw large sums beforehand, sparked outrage from business groups and even other branches of government.

The central bank described the ruling as "unsound" and illegal, saying it violated laws guaranteeing the secrecy of bank accounts.

Another commission order, which imposed a five-day ban on sales and public consumption of liquor, was suspended by the Supreme Court on Wednesday in response to a petition from the liquor industry.

The five-day ban was cut back to the customary two-day ban, starting on May 12, Supreme Court officials said.

Authorities had already been enforcing a ban on the carrying of guns in public since January to try to curb violence before the elections, when more than 18,000 posts around the country will be contested.

The positions range from local council level to the nation's Congress, with elections for the fixed, six-year presidential term due in 2016.

The husband of a town mayor and an aide were shot dead in an election-campaign ambush in the central Philippines on Monday, lifting the number of people killed in poll-related violence this year to at least 50.

In 2009 58 people were massacred in the worst single act of election-related violence in recent Philippine political history.

A political clan in the south is alleged to have carried out the murders to stamp out a rival's challenge for the post of provincial governor.