Filipino Muslims distribute leaflets containing the names of their candidates outside a polling precinct on May 9. (Photo by Jimmy Domingo)
Up to 54 million Filipinos went to the polls on May 9 amid reports of violence and violations of election laws.
A few hours before the polls opened, authorities reported that seven people were shot dead and another was injured in an ambush in the province of Cavite, a few kilometers south of Manila.
The incident happened in what has been dubbed as an election "area of concern" where political rivalries traditionally result in violence.
Initial data from the government's election-monitoring task force showed that 15 people had so far been killed in poll-related incidents since January.
Other violent incidents are yet to be linked to the elections.
On May 7, a riot ensued outside the town hall of Munai in Lanao del Norte province as supporters of a local politician tried to stop a group of policemen who alleged tried to steal a voting machine.
Several vote counting machines also were reported to malfunction during the conduct of the elections, resulting in long lines around polling precincts.
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting also received reports that a child was killed in a bombing incident in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province.
The church-based election watchdog also reported incidents of vote-buying in many parts of the country.
An elderly voter looks for his name on on the voters' list as some 54 million Filipinos cast their votes during the May 9 national elections. (Photo by Joe Torres)
Bishops among first voters
The country's Catholic bishops were among the early voters on May 9.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan was at the polling center as early as 6 a.m., an hour before the polling precincts opened.
"I was done in 20 minutes. (It) makes me proud to be Filipino," he told reporters after casting his vote. He described the process as "smooth and orderly."
"When you pray before voting, voting becomes easy and fulfilling," Archbishop Villegas said.
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila also was among the first to cast his vote in Manila's Tondo district.
"Voting was fast. Maybe because I’m a senior (citizen)," he said.
On the eve of the elections, several Catholic prelates urged the faithful to hold prayer vigils to seek God's guidance in choosing "God fearing" leaders who have the "true spirit of public service."
"Vote according to the dictates of your conscience," Bishop Martin Jumoad of Isabela in the southern island of Basilan called on the people.
Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga called for prayers for "clean, safe, and honest elections."
"We should not be intimidated by show of force, nor carried away by instant promises of jobs and false securities," said Bishop Santos.
A family walks in the middle of a Manila street filled with election materials as Filipinos flock to voting centers on May 9 to elect a president and some 18,000 other national and local officials. (Photo by Basilio Sepe)
'Illegal and farcical elections'
Two days before the elections, a group of religious leaders and private individuals called on the people to "reject the illegal and farcical presidential elections."
In a statement, the National Transformation Council expressed "serious concern" about what its members described as the "probable failure" of the elections due to the alleged efforts of the government and other interest groups "to manipulate the electoral process for their own ends."
"Today, we must confess that even before the voting has begun, the elections have already turned out to be a defective, fraudulent, illegal and illegitimate exercise, which poses an incalculable threat to the security of the state and the wellbeing of the nation," the group said.
Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz, former president of the Catholic bishops’ conference, said this year's elections "is the worst" and "the most frightening thing I have ever seen in my life."
"It is impossible that there is no evil in our land, and this election is proof to that … Something is wrong, and something is going to happen and we should be prepared for it," he told ucanews.com
Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla of Davao, a member of the National Transformation Council, called on his fellow bishops, priests and religious, to "come together (and) save our country from the diabolical machinations of Satan."
"The devil is very happy these days because what is wrong is being applauded and upheld," the prelate said.
Fraud and violence
Archbishop Capalla urged Filipinos to "keep an eye" on widespread election fraud and encouraged the international community "to check on the legality and legitimacy of the elections."
"We fear that the elections have already become defective and fraudulent. There are serious concerns about the probable failure of elections," Archbishop Capalla told ucanews.com.
The prelate expressed fear that "violence might erupt if forces from the administration or other political parties will push through on their efforts to manipulate the results of the electoral process."
Former National Security Council chief Norberto Gonzales warned that protest actions are likely to erupt in the coming days.
He said that unlike in past election protest actions, "this time might be dangerous."
"The 1986 revolution was peaceful because the church was in the forefront, but this time the church is not there because there are candidates who do not recognize the church and are even against the church," Gonzales said.
A woman puts her child on a table as she fills up her ballot during the Philippines national and local elections on May 9. (Photo by Mark Saludes)
Foreign observers optimistic
International election observers, however, have expressed hope that this year's elections will bring a "much-needed climate of peace" in the country, especially in the troubled southern region of Mindanao.
"We expect to see an election free from violence and fraud, but we also want to have a picture of the real issues and conditions," said Leif Petterson, a member of the Swedish Parliament.
Petterson and 14 other foreign observers will be deployed in four areas of the country with a history of election-related violence where political clans, warlords, and armed goons rule.
The Philippine National Police has reported a total of 1,036 violent election-related incidents that claimed more than 600 lives in the last five electoral cycles since 2001.
"The bloodiest period occurred during the 2010 presidential election with 155 casualties and scores of others wounded," said Arnold Tarrobago, national coordinator of Compact for Peaceful and Democratic elections.
Election violence has become common in Philippine politics as 18,000 posts are up for grabs this year.
— with reports from Mark Saludes and Ronald Reyes.
