Different Groups Protest In Front Of Comelec Offices, Commission Says They’ve Received No Complaints

Groups protest in front of Comelec

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To many Filipinos, the 9th May presidential election was high-stakes, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s son, Bongbong Marcos, being the frontrunner. On the evening of election day, anti-Marcos Filipinos’ worst fear manifested – and it’s believed to be due to strings pulled by the Commission on Elections.

Today, 10th May, some 2,000 protesters have gathered in front of the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila. Groups have also gathered in front of the commission’s offices in Baguio, Davao, Aklan, and several other places all over the country.

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Failure of elections?

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Voters in Matandang Balara, Quezon City at almost 12AM 
Image credit: @JudyIbuyan

Different protest groups gathered in front of Comelec offices today, crying failure of election.

Yesterday, 1,800 vote counting machines (VCMs) broke down in different precincts around the country while citizens were trying to cast their votes. Replacements took a long time to arrive.

Some people even had to wait 24 hours to put their ballots into the machine.

Despite this, the Comelec and other concerned government agencies claim a successful and peaceful election.

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Comelec, DILG do not address citizens’ electoral concerns

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Protesters in front of the Comelec main office in Manila
Image credit: @bloodyvints

There have been protests in front of their offices this morning. The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), that’s in charge of manually counting election returns, has been calling for walk-in volunteers. But Comelec maintains that they’ve heard no complaints.

“As of today, we have not received any complaints from our citizens’ arm,” said Comelec Commissioner George Garcia at 9.30AM, just as the protest was being held in front of their main office.

Similarly, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said no one has been deprived of their right to vote despite ballot-snatching incidents in Basilan and election-related deaths in Lanao del Sur, among others.

According to DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, “Generally, [the election] is peaceful. People have been able to cast their vote. We don’t see any disenfranchisement.”

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PPCRV to compare results with Comelec

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Despite Bongbong Marcos leading the electronic election results, he is still not guaranteed the presidential seat due to two factors.

Among them are the requirement that the Comelec’s electronic election results must be about the same as the PPCRV’s. If these are vastly different, failure of election will be declared and there will be a recount or another election.

Related reads:

• Bongbong Marcos leads in electronic election results
• Bongbong Marcos facts
• Philippine Martial Law documentaries and movies so we can #NeverForget

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Cover image adapted from: u/DudeBamboozle4 and @JudyIbuyan