Reducing or Increasing registered voters will be reviewed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
Rewritten Article:
Headlines are buzzing about the "dagdag-bawas" controversy in the 2025 senatorial race, as presented by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
At a press conference, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia addressed claims that unofficial and partial media results contained duplicated votes due to software glitches.
"I just want to clear things up. This morning, there seemed to be an addition or subtraction of votes. The Comelec does not tally, does not rank, and certainly cannot manipulate the results, it's against our principles, because we are the Comelec and the official results are what we should release to determine who's in the top spot," Garcia explained.
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At 12:32 pm, partial, unofficial results indicated that reelectionist Senator Christopher "Bong" Go led with 68.76% of the vote count, amassing 26,430,315 votes.
However, two hours later, Go's lead dwindled to 80.16% as his vote count decreased to 21,699,929.
Other candidates experienced similar fluctuations in the partial and unofficial vote results.
Despite the fluctuations, Comelec Chairman Garcia assured the public of the integrity of the recently concluded 2025 National Leadership Elections.
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However, concerns persist regarding the transmission of votes from contested locations where suspicions of vote tampering have arisen, such as provinces and cities declared as voting centers for certain candidates in the hotly-contested local elections on Monday, May 12, 2025 [our website Philippines].
Insights:
- Election Integrity: There have been debunked claims of "dagdag-bawas" (add-add or add-subtract) vote manipulation, with Comelec Chairman Garcia explaining that some media outlets released election results without properly cleansing the data, which might have led to confusion [3].
- Foreign Interference: Allegations of foreign interference in the elections have arisen, including a complaint filed with Comelec accusing candidates backed by former President Rodrigo Duterte of benefiting from 'China-funded' digital disinformation campaigns. This complaint includes forensic evidence and alleges violations of the Fair Election Act [2].
- Operational Challenges: The 2025 elections have also seen reports of machine errors and long lines, highlighting operational challenges during the voting process [4].
- In the midst of the ongoing controversies surrounding the 2025 Philippine elections, concerns over potential foreign influence have emerged, with a complaint filed against candidates backed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, alleging the use of 'China-funded' digital disinformation campaigns, a matter now under investigation by the Comelec.
- Similarly, the 2025 Philippine elections have seen various policy issues being discussed, including the immigration policies for migrant workers, war-and-conflicts abroad and their impact on domestic legislation, as well as the ongoing debates about the effectiveness of the country's general news coverage during elections.
- The 2025 Philippine elections have also highlighted the importance of election integrity, with the Comelec addressing concerns about unofficial and partial media results containing duplicated votes due to software glitches, while assuring the public of the integrity of the election process. Meanwhile, ongoing investigations into allegations of vote tampering and foreign interference continue to dominate the political news landscape in the Philippines.
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