A coalition of religious groups is increasingly concerned that "instability" could hit the country if the Commission on Elections fails to make the May 9 automated polls credible.
The FAITH.e Coalition or Interfaith Coalition for Fairness, Accuracy, Integrity, and Honesty in Elections said that political instability could result from a seriously flawed electoral process.
"We don't want this to happen," said Bishop Efraim Tendero, secretary-general of the World Evangelical Alliance and one of the lead conveners of the coalition.
To forestall this, the faith-based group of Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, and Muslim leaders urged the commission to implement all the security features to erase doubts on the system's integrity.
The church leaders said their call finds more relevance in the light of the recent survey by Pulse Asia finding that four out 10 voters believe that cheating will happen in the coming elections.
If the commission will implement all the security provisions mandated by law, they said this confidence-building measure will impact positively on the public’s current perception of the credibility of the elections.