"They claim that they have the evidence to prove their victory. They claim that they have an anti-fraud infrastructure in place. They claim that they knew of the outcome of the senatorial elections. And with all of these, the GO candidates and its panicky lawyers should rest in peace and allow for the smooth end to the electoral process."
MANILA, Philippines -- So why was Manny Pacquiao KO'd by Rep. Darlene Antonino Custodio in the fight for the congressional seat of the first district of South Cotabato? Former North Cotabato governor (and now vice-governor) Manny Pi?ol, in an article published in philboxing.com, offers an answer: betrayal.
(SECOND UPDATE) | The UCCP and progressive groups like Bayan and Bayan Muna have scheduled a noise barrage at noon tomorrow to denounce the abduction of the Rev. Berlin Guerrero. It will be held in front of the offices of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines along EDSA near Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.
Analysis | Mindanao is exploited to the hilt in the commission of electoral fraud not because of its remoteness. A distinct economic, political and cultural structure renders the region vulnerable to state manipulation verily through the use of the state's apparatuses for state terrorism and coerced mandate through fraudulent elections.
The involvement of police officers in the burning of a polling precinct in Taysan, Batangas, which resulted in the death of two teachers, may just be the tip of the iceberg as far as the role of state security forces in electoral fraud and violence is concerned, says an opposition watchdog group.