MANILA — As it continues to receive complaints from people who failed to vote in Monday?s elections because their names were not on posted computerized voters? lists (PCVLs), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) created a committee to investigate these incidents.
At a press conference, Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos said although the committee is yet to meet, ?this early I can tell you that we may have misprinted some names.?
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MANILA — Malaca?ang is protesting the quick counts being conducted by media outfits, saying these lead to trending and mind conditioning.
Gabriel Claudio, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?s chief political adviser, said the quick counts have a “hypnotic effect” on the public and lead people to believe that “this is what will come out in the end, which [it] is not.”
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WE, members and participants of the People?s International Observers? Mission (IOM) express shock and dismay at the brazen and numerous violations of election laws we witnessed in Lanao del Sur on May 14 and 15. We also grieve that the people of the province were again denied peaceful and credible elections by both the Commission on Elections (and its instrumentalities) and the opposing political interests and clans of Lanao del Sur.
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Preliminary Statement of Asian Foreign Election Observers on the Mission in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
COTABATO CITY — The twenty one observers from the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) have completed their election observation mission and study of the Philippines? electoral system and process. Observers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand spent eight days observing the pre-election situation and Election Day throughout the six provinces of the ARMM, visiting more than 500 precincts. We observed the preparations for the elections at the local level, and the situation before election day by interviewing candidates, election and other government officials, nongovernment organizations, and citizens. We then observed election day, up to the counting of ballots.
By Grace S. Uddin
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY — The day after the elections, threats and harassments continued to occur in some areas in Mindanao, based on the monitoring office of Kalinaw Mindanao, a joint election-monitoring group set up by the government’s Mindanao Economic Development Council Office (Medco).