2 MIN READ

By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Rights and women’s groups are calling out the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and government agencies over widespread election irregularities and systemic efforts to suppress progressive candidates in the 2025 midterm polls.

In separate statements, Gabriela and Karapatan criticized the conduct of the elections, noting incidents of massive vote invalidation and “terror tactics” that targeted Makabayan Coalition’s partylist, candidates, and supporters.

Clarice Palce, Gabriela secretary general, condemned Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia for saying voters likely “forgot” their actual choices and that there is no evidence to confirm the discrepancies. She stated that the remarks were a “calculated attempt to deflect” the commission’s responsibility for the disenfranchisement of millions of voters.

As of May 15 at 6:06 PM, data from the National Movement for Free Elections indicated over 35 million instances of overvoting across all positions. This included more than 17 million in the Senate race and 3.3 million affecting party-list selections.

Palce questioned the credibility of the explanation, asking, “Paano makakalimutan ng 18 milyong botante ang kanilang ibinoto? Hindi ito kapani-paniwala.”

She also criticized the restrictions that prevent voters from documenting receipt discrepancies. “Ito ay malinaw na panlilinlang sa mga botante,” she said. “COMELEC bars voters from documenting discrepancies, then uses this same restriction to deny their complaints and blame the voters.”

According to Gabriela, several women reported that their receipts listed names they did not vote for or that their party-list votes were marked invalid. The group said these anomalies could have affected the final allocation of congressional seats, especially for marginalized sectors.

Palce added that these incidents are part of a broader pattern of election problems, including malfunctioning vote-counting machines, unexplained voter count reductions, inconsistent hash code versions, and widespread disinformation.

 “Questionable hash code versions, malfunctioning ACMs, sudden and anomalous vote shaving during national canvassing, misinformation and disinformation of voters—all these point to serious problems that Comelec refuses to acknowledge,” she said.

Meanwhile, the human rights alliance Karapatan described the 2025 elections’ results as a “gutter-level political system.” 

“The senatorial election is dominated by representatives of those in the ruling order who have visibly made the government bureaucracy their family business. Even the partylist race is littered with representatives of political and opportunistic dynasties and personalities,” the group said. 

It also noted that vote-buying, fraud, and repression marred the polls, accusing the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of orchestrating a campaign to discredit and intimidate progressive candidates before and during the election period.

Karapatan reported red-tagging, the distribution of false information, and harassment against left-leaning groups. The group cited incidents where makeshift coffins symbolizing death threats were displayed in public spaces, and disinformation was circulated falsely claiming that Bayan Muna had been disqualified.

The group said these actions were part of a broader government strategy outlined in Presidential Memorandum No. 83, which allegedly aimed to label pro-people candidates as electoral fronts for insurgents. Karapatan also criticized Comelec’s resolution against discrimination, which prohibited red-tagging, as ineffective in curbing these tactics.

Despite these challenges, several progressive party-list groups managed to secure votes and remain in the race. Karapatan said this shows continued public support for grassroots-based politics and rights-based platforms.

Poll watchdog Kontra Daya has previously asserted that election success should not only be measured by the speed of canvassing and proclamation, but also urges the Comelec to first resolve “election issues and inconsistencies” before proceeding with the proclamation of winning candidates. The group has also urged manual counting at the precinct level, asserting that the process would provide greater transparency in counting votes. # nordis.net