Vinia Datinguinoo Mukherjee: Congratulations, PCIJ! Mabuhay kayo!
Lead Philippines: But without credible mass media there, what is left to protect the people..?
vonjobi: it's juned sOniDo.
Lead Philippines: Can't believe this is still happening in the country. If the government does nothing, I won't be...
Keith Bacongco: who could we forget Alecks here in Mindanao... aside from PCIJ trainings, he also helped us a lot...

Latest Message 3 days, 15 hours ago

hopeless_race : Sana itreat naman po ng media ang hacienda luisita at mendiola massacre na parang MAGUINADANAO MASSACRE. Ipublicized ang mga katotohanan at ipakita sa tao ang karumaldumal na pinaggagawa sa mga farmers dun. Untouchable po ba sila cory at danding at hindi magawang batikusin ng media about these two massacres?
hopeless_race : Kapag napaguusapan ang mendiola at hacienda luisita massacre ay parang walang nangyari at parang hindi big deal. Anu po ba ang pinagkaiba ng dalawang nabanggit na massacre sa maguindanao massacre?
hopeless_race : Its sad that we pinoys are blind to the fact of what had happened in mendiola and hacienda luisita. Ang tanong..bakit ang media ay hindi manlang matackle ang ganitong usapin? Takot ba sila kay cory at danding?
hopeless_race : Wilkins" brand, for P1.4 billion.-1999 Sugarland Multi-Food Corp. for P2.9 billion 2001- Purefoods Corp P7 billion P60 billion Coca-Cola ... See More 2002- Cosmos Bottling Corp. from RFM Corp. for P14.1 billion October 2008- GSIS' shares in Meralco worth PHP30 Billion. December 2008- country's biggest oil refiner, Petron Corporation. international company shopping spree: Australian boutique brewer J. Boag and Son for A$96 million in 2000. $97 million for Thai Amarit Brewery Ltd $35.5 mi
hopeless_race : Gud am..glad to be back.
jr_lad : rip mr. alecks pabico. you'll be greatly missed!
sevens21 : Dati input mo lng name at SSS ID makukuha mo agad STATIC INFO...
sevens21 : tawag ka sa HOTLINE nila walang ANSWER grrr we need pa namn ng static info SSS Gising!!!
sevens21 : Gawa naman po kayo ng article about SSS. Pangit ng site nila dali ma blocked ng account
guest_899 : we must check the background of each potential candidates to avoid having another big mistake like GMA
guest_899 : congratulations to PCIJ, more power and God Bless !
jazzymuver : how did Arroyo swallow that kind of things!! how come that she just spend the money our countrymen for her own sake!!
guest_3664 : i would be glad if u can include the investigation of the manner public officials announce infra projects as per COA regulation. It is frustrating to see their faces on the tarpaulin instead of the prescribed information like name of project, date of implementation,amount of contract, source/s of fund, among other things. This is very rampant here in Marikina. Thanks and more power on your noble endeavors. We need people like you to have make our country great again.
jhanz_08 : im making research on R.A 9136...with rgards to the privatization of NPC..could someone out there can let me understand more bout this matter?why was monopoly dismantled?email me..jhanycem@yahoo.com...thanks much
erika marie : P.S.:) my paper is due next week and i do hope someone could provide me these reports coming from reliable resources thank you ulit.
erika marie : P.S.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study regarding political killings in the philippines. could someone out there please send me human rights reports under Aquino and Ramos administration. you could send it at my email: erikamariet@yahoo.com your response would surely be very much appreciated. thank you everyone. god bless.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study for my paper regarding political killings in the philippines. i noted that there are no human rights reports during the Aquino and Ramos administration. could someone out there please send me reports regarding these matter? i do hope these reports came from reliable resources you could send it in my email; erikamariet@yahoo.comyour response would surely be appreciated. thanks everyone. god bless.
jayson bourne : gusto ko po maging member ng PCIJ, panu po ba? may application po ba? sana mapadalhan nyo ako ng info sa email ko... www.jboxpenshoppe@yahoo.com
jayson bourne : cory is OK, but kris & Noynoy sensationalize masyado...
guest_9891 : LABAN pa rin!
meow : boycotts worked during marcos years. how about doing it now against the businesses of the con-ass congressmen?
meow : aside from 168, what other establishments can we boycott that belong to the arroyos and their cronies?
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International foreign observers to monitor May 14 elections

Posted by: Luis Liberato | May 12, 2007 at 8:50 am
Filed under: 2007 Elections, Civil Society

TWO groups of foreign observers will be monitoring the midterm elections this coming Monday.

Compact foreign observers Sixteen of the foreign observers from nine countries were presented at a press conference held by the Compact for Clean and Honest Elections (Compact) at the Sulo Hotel the other day. They will participate in the International Observers Mission (IOM) to be deployed in various election hotspots to document and report election-related fraud and violence.

Meanwhile, a team of 30 observers from 13 different countries is also expected to arrive in the Philippines to take part in another IOM to contribute to local efforts to safeguard the votes. The mission, dubbed the International Mission Against Electoral Fraud and Violence, is convened by a group led by Bishop Elmer Bolocon of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines and will be visiting 13 areas in eight regions where the probability of electoral fraud is high.

The teams are comprised of parliamentarians, lawyers, church leaders, members of academe and the media, artists, civil libertarians, professionals, students, human rights defenders, and officials from political parties from the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United States, and Venezuela.

Cecilia Lero, a Filipino-American participant of the Compact-organized IOM, expressed hope that the mission, in the tradition of other international observer missions in other democratically deficient countries, will be able to contribute to the success of fair and pure elections. “I believe it is possible to achieve,” she said.

At the same time, Lero encouraged the youth to participate actively in the upcoming polls. “Being a part of the Compact is also important to me on the personal level as a balikbayan. I hope to observe the elections from the point of view of the multitudes of Filipino youth in the diaspora who refuse to be complacent with the political and economic situation, which forces us into what we call a ‘voluntary exile.’ I hope here to represent those of us who refuse to give up on our country.”

To ensure that the upcoming elections will be conducted in an honest, orderly, and peaceful manner, the IOMs will give support and contribute to the Filipino people’s efforts at countering the cycle of election fraud and violence in the Philippines, with special attention to those that might be committed against pro-democracy and pro-people party-list organizations and opposition candidates, especially at the national level.

Aside from putting political pressure on the Arroyo government against committing fraud and violence in the May 2007 elections, especially against its most vocal opponents, the missions will give special attention to party-list and senatorial elections, investigate and expose election fraud and violence, and draw conclusions as to the state of the elections.

The missions will also call the international community’s attention to the continuing human rights violations and affront to democracy being perpetrated by the State in the Philippines.

Lesley Clark, an Australian, admitted however that the mission is not the entire answer in ending election-related problems.

“We know that we are not the solution to all ills. But, we do hope that we can be a strong deterrent wherever we are in the country. So that those places at the very least will be free of violence and cheating.”

Since the start of the election period last January, over a hundred people have so far been killed in election-related violence. Gun ban violations, according to the Philippine National Police, have reached 1,782, with 2,015 firearms and 320 deadly weapons confiscated.

Compact convenor Leah Navarro expects the rise of violent incidents as the day of elections is near.

“Acts of fraud, intimidation and, coercion are expected to intensify to influence the results of elections,” she said. “With the inability of Comelec to curb election-related violence, the number of election-related violence perpetuated by local bosses and their private armies, the military, and other armed groups is expected to rise.”

Joel Rocamora, also a convenor of the group, believed that such cases are reflections of the failure of the country’s political system.

“The power to dispense patronage is at stake, so the elite willingly resort to coercion and fraud to win at the local and national elections. At the same time, the weakness of the country’s political institutions, including the party system, makes it more difficult to curb violence and fraud,” Rocamora explained.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos emphasized that the observers are not allowed to interfere in the electoral process and are allowed at a certain distance.

“All they can do is look and listen. They cannot enter polling precincts; they are allowed a certain distance,” Abalos said.

The mission participants will be deployed in the following areas:

Compact for Clean and Honest Elections

Caloocan
Nueva Ecija
Pampanga
Quezon Province
Bicol
Negros Occidental
Cotabato City
Maguindanao
Sharif Kabungsuan

International Mission Against Electoral Fraud and Violence

Isabela and Quirino (Region II)
Guimba, Nueva Ecija and San Fernando, Pampanga (Region III)
Lian and Nasugbu in Batangas and Catanauan and Lucena in Quezon (Region IV)
Castilla, Sorsogon (Region V)
Tuburan, Aloginsan and Asturias towns in Cebu (Region VII)
Compostela Valley and Lanao del Sur ( Region XI and ARMM)
Urban poor communities in Quezon City, Makati City and Tondo, Manila (NCR).

Findings of the missions, including recommendations for electoral reforms, will be presented to the international community and the media.

Luis Liberato is a third year journalism student at the University of Sto. Tomas. He is presently doing his internship with the PCIJ.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2007 and is filed under 2007 Elections, Civil Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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[...] This brings to three the number of international observer missions in the country monitoring the May 14 elections. Sixteen foreign observers are taking part in the mission organized by the Compact for Clean and Honest Elections (Compact) deployed in various election hotspots to document and report election-related fraud and violence. [...]