Critics, Religious Figures Criticize Results of Philippine Elections
Rewritten Article:
AFTER the midterm elections in predominantly Catholic Philippines, a crew of around 200 protesters, led by poll watchdog Kontra Daya, progressive group Makabayan, and religious organizations, gathered in Manila on May 13, 2025, voicing concerns over alleged irregularities and voter suppression.
University Professor Danilo Arao, the propeller of Kontra Daya, laid the blame at the feet of the government's election commission, stating they needed to answer for the reported blunders and violations during the midterm elections.
The poll watchdog's top complaints involved ACM errors, recording 557 instances, closely followed by illegal campaigns with 142 incidents and disenfranchisement with 86 cases.
When asked whether they will file charges against the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Arao replied, "We're exploring all possible options now."
Pastor Irma Balaba, the spokesperson of the ecumenical political group Promotion of Church People's Response, viewed the events of May 12 as indicative of an "Automated Cheating Machine," rather than an Automated Counting Machine. Balaba joined the call for manual counting, emphasizing the importance of validating ballots and preserving the dignity of voters' choices.
The protesting groups advocated for a hybrid system that combines both automatic and manual counting, in order to uphold transparency and integrity.
Lawyer Aaron Pedrosa, secretary-general of multisectoral group Sanlakas, criticized the election-related violence and reported anomalies that dominated the midterm elections. Pedrosa requested that Comelec take a firm stance in prosecuting election offenses, including vote-buying, and address technical concerns by conducting a rigorous audit.
According to a final status report by poll watchdog Vote Report PH on May 13, ACM issues remained the most frequent complaint, accounting for 50.09% of recorded cases, with prevalent problems like ink smudging, overly sensitive scanners, and a high incidence of over-voting. Although voter disenfranchisement ranked third, it involved mostly missing names on voter rolls and procedural complications that hindered eligible voters from casting their ballots.
Past intimidation tactics, known as red-tagging, against progressive candidates persisted, with 54 cases reported (3.39%). Other issues included election-related violence, harassment, vote-buying, tampered ballots, and black propaganda/disinformation. The most electoral irregularities were reported in 229 cities and municipalities across the nationwide.
Amid the flood of election irregularity reports, Dr. Nilo Eder, a prominent education leader in Tacloban City, noted that voter behavior is consistently evolving, as Filipinos place greater emphasis on integrity and performance over popularity.
The poll body's chief George Erwin Garcia stated that the 2025 elections were the most peaceful yet, in terms of election-related violence, with only 44 incidents reported compared to 128 in 2019 and approximately 120 in 2020.
However, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Socrates Villegas, a former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), stated that winning or losing in the elections comes with valuable lessons to teach. Villegas expressed that while the people have spoken, the process was not perfect and was tainted by monetary influence, violence, and lies.
The European Union Election Observation Missions, invited to observe the 2025 national midterm elections in the Philippines, raised concerns about the necessary guarantees for access to polling precincts, which is essential for their observation methodology. This lack of access prevented a full-scale observation of the voting phase in polling precincts. The international monitoring body will release a preliminary statement with their findings and conclusions on May 14. (Ronald Reyes/our website Philippines)
- In the aftermath of the midterm elections in the Philippines, protests were held in Manila on May 13, 2025, led by Kontra Daya, Makabayan, and religious organizations, expressing concerns about alleged irregularities and voter suppression during the elections.
- University Professor Danilo Arao, the leader of Kontra Daya, accused the government's election commission of responsibility for various reported blunders and violations during the midterm elections.
- The general news reported that the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) could face charges due to numerous complaints filed by poll watchdogs, such as Kontra Daya and Vote Report PH, regarding Automated Cheating Machine (ACM) errors, illegal campaigns, and voter disenfranchisement.
- Amidst the flood of election irregularity reports, Dr. Nilo Eder, an education leader in Tacloban City, observed that voter behavior in the Philippines is evolving, as citizens place growing importance on integrity and performance in the elections.
