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Scoop
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
PH 2025 Elections Did Not Meet Int'l Standards For Free, Fair Elections –Observer Mission Report
The 2025 Philippine midterm elections 'did not meet international standards for free and fair elections,' according to the final report of the International Observer Mission (IOM) released today, citing 'grave and widespread violations' of human rights across the country. The mission's findings point to a confluence of factors that severely undermined the integrity of the electoral process: voter disenfranchisement, widespread vote-buying, systemic human rights violations, the entrenched power of domestic political dynasties, and the foreign military influence in local political affairs. 'The rights of Filipinos to vote freely and without coercion were compromised,' says IOM Commissioner Lee Rhiannon. 'The climate of fear, normalized vote-buying and militarization that surrounded the elections reflects a failure to uphold international democratic standards.' The IOM's conclusion is based on weeks of intensive documentation by international field teams deployed across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao during the election campaign and on election day, May 12. Observers conducted on-the-ground interviews with voters, poll watchers, campaigners, local officials, and civil society leaders, while remote teams tracked digital disinformation, overseas absentee voting, and media coverage. The comprehensive report is the result of an independent international initiative that adopts a rights-based approach to monitoring the elections. This was organized by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) and launched in 2022. For the 2025 mission, more than 50 international human rights advocates took part, with field Observers deployed to priority areas with histories of election-related violence. The Mission partnered with local watchdogs such as Kontra Daya and Vote Report PH, while remote teams monitored digital disinformation, overseas absentee voting (OAV), and voting irregularities abroad. 'Our findings point to a widespread pattern of repression and vote-buying alongside threats of foreign interference,' said IOM Commissioner Andrea Mann. 'The red-tagging of progressive candidates, vote-buying, disenfranchisement, and militarization are not isolated problems. These reflect a deeply compromised system.' 'Given the scale and severity of these violations, we conclude that the 2025 Philippine elections failed to meet international standards for free, fair, and democratic elections,' Mann stated. Voter Disenfranchisement, Vote-Buying 'These elections violated key articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Philippines is a state party,' said ICHRP Global Council Chairperson Peter Murphy. The IOM Final Report documented 545 cases of electoral violations, including vote-buying, disenfranchisement, harassment, and even election-related killings and disappearances. 'These abuses fundamentally undermined the rights of Filipinos to participate in free and fair elections,' he added. The Mission highlighted the rampant voter disenfranchisement. Malfunctioning automated counting machines (ACMs), ballots misread as overvotes, and pre-marked or misprinted ballots disenfranchised thousands. COMELEC failed to explain why the machines ran on a non-certified software version, casting doubt on the integrity of the results. According to the report, the disenfranchisement extended overseas, where online registration glitches and delayed pre-enrolment requirements led to a historically low 18.12% voter turnout among OFWs, far below even the usual participation rates. Workers and the urban poor were similarly excluded, as May 13 was not declared a paid holiday, forcing many to choose between voting and earning income. Murphy also raised alarm over the scale of vote-buying, calling it 'scandalous interference with the election.' The IOM alone, recorded 111 vote-buying incidents, with COMELEC receiving 158 formal complaints but issuing only minimal sanctions. Some party-lists, such as Ako Bicol, reportedly offered up to 16,000 PHP (~289 USD) per vote. 'Mass poverty and entrenched inequality have enabled political dynasties and business-funded candidates to distort electoral outcomes,' Murphy stated. He mentioned the recommendations from the IOM report on electoral reforms, including the adoption of a hybrid manual-automated voting system, addressing the inaccessible OFW registration process, and the declaration of election day as a paid public holiday. Red-Tagging, militarization undermine free elections 'The 2025 midterm election failed to uphold the most basic democratic principle: the people's uncoerced right to choose their leaders,' said IOM Commissioner Rhiannon. 'The abuses by various arms of state power documented here reveal the extent of the failed Filipino electoral process. These abuses not only constitute electoral violations, they also constitute violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.' Central to these violations, she pointed out, was the systematic use of red-tagging, which she described as "the most frequently reported violation." There were 112 documented cases solely by the Mission, while a staggering 1,445 cases were reported to the IOM local election watchdog Vote Report PH. "It is used to smear reputations, deter campaigning, and prevent people from voting," Rhiannon explained. The Commissioner recounted disturbing cases of red-tagging and intimidation: from tarpaulins branding progressive candidates 'NPA' and 'terrorist' in Southern Tagalog to the display of fake coffins marked with blood and names of activist groups across the country. 'In Western Visayas, soldiers interrogated children as young as five. In Abra, the military handed out 'surrender papers' in exchange for financial aid or a chance to 'clear' one's name,' she added. Rhiannon emphasized that these abuses were not isolated but part of a 'well-funded campaign involving the police, military, and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).' 'The unchecked labeling of progressive groups as insurgents has fostered a climate of fear, suppressed political participation, and severely undermined democratic space,' Rhiannon said. Violation of national sovereignty highlighted IOM Commissioner Colleen Moore pointed out the timing and scope of the U.S.-led Balikatan military exercises, which overlapped with the Philippine 2025 midterm elections, as a major distortion of democratic space. 'The concurrent staging of large-scale war games with over 15,000 foreign and local troops during an electoral campaign is not just poor judgment. It is an outright violation of national sovereignty of Filipinos,' Moore said. She emphasized that the exercises were 'framed by government officials and administration-aligned candidates as defensive maneuvers against an imminent threat, but in reality, it contributed to manufacturing a climate of fear designed to steer public opinion toward pro-U.S., pro-Marcos candidates.' According to the IOM report, this convergence of militarization and electoral politics "compromised the conditions necessary for a free and fair vote." The IOM Commissioner noted that candidates advocating an independent foreign policy were vilified as 'Beijing's puppets,' while dissent was drowned out by the state narrative equating opposition to the exercises with disloyalty. "The international community must recognize that ongoing military cooperation, such as Balikatan, directly contributes to political repression and distorts civic discourse," Moore stated. She referenced recommendations from the report calling for an end to foreign military activities and security aid to the Philippines during electoral periods and beyond. Observer mission recommendations The report issued a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at addressing deep-rooted structural issues in the country's electoral and governance systems. The report emphasizes that many of these recommendations echo those made in its 2022 findings. This is evidence, it states, of 'the persistence of systemic issues that continue to shape electoral processes in the Philippines.' Among its primary calls are the adoption of a hybrid election system that allows for both manual and automated vote verification, the urgent passage of the long-delayed Anti-Dynasty Bill, and measures to ensure nonpartisanship and transparency of the COMELEC. The IOM also highlighted the need for legal reforms that would empower voters to report violations such as vote-buying without fear of retaliation. The IOM extended its appeal to the international community, calling for sustained scrutiny of the Philippine electoral process and human rights situation. It specifically calls for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC, describing it as a 'central apparatus of red-tagging, intimidation, and political repression.' The IOM urges the Philippine government to criminalize red-tagging, outlaw the use of private armies, repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC) as essential steps toward restoring democratic space and accountability. These measures, the report states, are vital to protecting civil society, enabling peaceful political participation, and rebuilding public confidence in the country's democratic institutions. As Commissioner Moore emphasized, 'Free and fair elections cannot occur in an environment where voters are manipulated by fear, opposition voices are silenced, and foreign powers shape public discourse.' The Commissioners underscored that their report amplifies the voices of Filipinos already bravely speaking out, and reflects a shared call to uphold every people's right to choose their leaders free from fear, coercion, or foreign interference.
Scoop
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
PH Election Day Marred By Disenfranchisement, Violence, Technical Failures, Says Rights-Led Observer Mission
May 13, 2025 As polls closed in the Philippines, the International Observer Mission (IOM), a delegation of human rights advocates from across the globe, released initial findings that raise urgent red flags over the credibility of the 2025 midterm elections. The mission flagged severe voter disenfranchisement due to malfunctioning automated counting machines (ACMs), reports of ballots being wrongly read as overvotes, effectively nullifying valid votes, and a troubling, unexplained software update on the machines. 'These aren't just technical glitches, we are seeing failures that are disenfranchising thousands of Filipinos at a critical democratic moment,' said Commissioner Lee Rhiannon, a former Australian Senator. 'Our rights-based methodology has revealed violations of civil and political rights, including the right to vote, occurring on and around election day. Our mission is to document and to amplify what the Filipino people are already bravely calling out.' IOM on-ground teams have observed trends of disenfranchisement alongside local partner Vote Report PH and Kontra Daya, flagging multiple verified issues on election day. The teams have documented irregularities in the polling centers by interviewing respondents who voted in respective areas. In Cordillera and Northern Mindanao, ground teams monitored instances of vote-buying before and during polling hours. Similar issues were reported in the Bicol region, where, in addition to vote-buying, there were reports of pre-shaded ballots that affected voters. At one polling center in Southern Tagalog, more than 900 people lined up for only one ACM. This led to voters waiting in line for several hours, with reports of individuals giving up their right to vote. Due to the absence of ACMs, priority voters in Negros were asked to hand their ballots to polling officers. Instead of voters personally casting and verifying their vote, these ballots were placed inside a cardboard box. This case was documented by foreign observers, where respondents expressed concerns about whether their votes were counted and if any tampering occurred. In some precincts in Zamboanga, voters complained of not seeing the name of the partylist they voted for in the receipts. A disturbing pattern: electoral violence Beyond the failures in the voting technology, the IOM has noted an intensification of election-related violence and rights violations. Initial reports documented election-day riots, armed attacks, and multiple fatalities in the weeks leading up to May 12. As of May 12, Vote Report PH, a watchdog and partner of the 2025 IOM, recorded 1,445 incidents of red-tagging, making it the most frequently reported violation in their monitoring. Observers documented widespread cases throughout the campaign period in regions such as Cordillera, Southern Tagalog, Southern Luzon, Negros, and across Mindanao. The attacks intensified on election day, with red-tagging flyers and posters targeting progressive candidates and partylists still being circulated. 'We've observed a disturbing pattern: escalating violence, red-tagging of candidates and supporters, and coordinated disinformation against progressive voices,' said IOM Commissioner Colleen Moore, Director of Peace with Justice at the General Board of Church and Society. 'These are not isolated incidents. They form a chilling atmosphere that compromises the safety and freedom of voters.' On election day, several incidents of violence occurred across the country. Despite a nationwide gun ban, killings and shootings were reported in the provinces of Abra, Negros Occidental, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was hit the most, with all of its provinces experiencing varying levels of violence. It ranged from fist fights and riots between supporters of rival candidates to gunfights and shootings resulting in killings. Among the worst of these occurred in Basilan, where three people, including a poll watcher, were killed and two others wounded in a predawn boat clash near Hadji Muhtamad town, hours before the polls opened. Machine malfunctions, anomalous software update All international observers deployed across the country monitored widespread cases of malfunctioning ACMs, causing delays in voting. News outlets have also reported on machine glitches across the Philippines. The sheer magnitude and scope of the incidents likely point to thousands of voters affected nationwide. The Mission also indicated that it will recommend an investigation of the unexplained ACMs running version 3.5.0 software, rather than the publicly certified version 3.4.0. 'We are collaborating with our partners in the Philippines to look into this irregularity,' Moore added. Final report in two weeks 'While these findings remain initial, our mission expresses deep concern over the conditions under which the 2025 midterm elections were held,' says Rhiannon. 'The convergence of political violence, widespread disenfranchisement, harassment, and unexplained technical irregularities point to systemic vulnerabilities that risk undermining public trust in the electoral process.' According to the Commissioners, the IOM will continue to verify and analyze trends from the data and case studies they have collected. A final report detailing its observations and offering recommendations grounded in its human rights approach will be released within two weeks.
