APCHRP Condemns Widespread Irregularities and Systemic Failures in the 2025 Philippine Midterm Elections
The Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) expresses its deep dismay over the recent midterm elections in the Philippines. The electoral process was marred by rampant fraud, widespread vote-buying, and technical issues that caused significant delays in voting. On election day itself, blatant violations of election protocols were observed, such as the open distribution of sample ballots near polling centers.
Numerous reports emerged of automated counting machines (ACMs) failing to properly read ballots, resulting in cases of overvoting. Many voters also reported discrepancies between the names they voted and the ballot receipts they received. Additionally, cases of disenfranchisement of voters were rampant, including voters unable to find their names on the voting roll or unable to find their polling precinct.
Even Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) were not spared from irregularities. The shift from the automated voting system to the Online Voting System (OVS) among absentee voters raised serious concerns about transparency, accessibility, and vote security. Many OFWs experienced delays in receiving voting credentials, had difficulty accessing the platform, on top of the lack of adequate support from Philippine embassies and consulates.
According to poll watchdog, Kontra Daya, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) also failed to provide a clear explanation regarding the unaudited software used in the ACMs. The group reiterated that version 3.5.0-used in the elections-is not the same as version 3.4.0, which was the only one certified by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC). This lack of transparency further casts doubt on the credibility and integrity of the election results.
Worryingly, even before the elections began, there was already a high level of politically motivated violence, particularly targeting progressive candidates such as the senatorial bets and party-list groups under the MAKABAYAN Bloc. Incidents of harassment and red-tagging were widespread, with posters vilifying opposition figures appearing in multiple areas including the use of a coffin in one instance to intimidate people from voting for progressive party-list groups. These attacks reflect an increasingly dangerous environment for democratic participation and a shrinking space for dissent in the country.
Despite numerous reports indicating that the elections were neither clean nor fair, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) maintained that no major problems occurred on election day. This dismissive stance further undermines public trust and disregards the lived experiences of countless voters who witnessed or were affected by irregularities.
The International Observer Mission (IOM), conducted by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), expressed serious concerns about the numerous red flags observed during the 2025 midterm elections. Lee Rhiannon, a former senator from Australia and one of the commissioners of IOM, voiced her concerns regarding the election, highlighting issues such as political violence, widespread disenfranchisement, harassment, and unexplained technical irregularities. She warned that these systemic vulnerabilities could undermine public trust in the electoral process.
In light of the myriad of issues observed during the 2025 Philippine midterm elections, the Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) urgently supports the call of the Filipino people for the immediate implementation of a manual vote count to ensure the integrity of the election results. We also call on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to conduct a full and transparent review of the electoral process, including the disqualification of bogus party-list groups such as Duterte Youth that demonize progressive organizations, and investigate party-list groups that do not genuinely represent marginalized Filipinos.
Lastly, the APCHRP emphasizes that the Filipino people deserve an electoral system that upholds the principles of transparency and accountability. We stand in solidarity with all sectors demanding electoral justice and the protection of democratic rights.
#Election2025
#ManualCountingNOW
