Foreign observers: 2016 polls in some areas ‘generally orderly and peaceful’

A group of foreign observers on Thursday found the May 9 elections in some parts of the country as "generally orderly and peaceful" despite numerous complaints about malfunctioning vote counting machines, reports of vote buying and election-related violence.

The assessment mirrored that of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which said the polls went smoothly even if voting was delayed in some precincts due to busted VCMs.

"We congratulate the government and the Filipino people for this success. Despite the long queues, glitches and other irregularities, the Filipino voting public went out and voted. The historic 81 percent turnout is astonishing," said Anushka Ruge, a youth leader from Germany, at a press conference in Manila.

Ruge is one of the 15 delegates from the United States, Sweden, Germany and Japan brought to the country by civil society group Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections to monitor the conduct of the elections in 91 precincts in Maguindanao, Bohol, Dinagat Islands and Isabela.

The group also commended the military and police for keeping the peace as well as the sacrifice of teachers who acted as Board of Election Inspectors.

It also came up with recommendations which would be submitted to the Comelec.

• more secured, crowd-managed and voter-friendly voting precincts
• additional compensation, training and protection for BEIs
• acquire new vote counting machines that can withstand hot weather
• improve the overall voter experience especially for persons with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant women
• passage of an anti-political dynasty law to address election related violence and vote buying

The observers said they talked to people who admitted being convinced to sell their votes but they have not seen the vote buying operations directly since these were allegedly conducted days ahead of the polls.

A total of 104 foreigners acted as observers in this year's local and national polls, according to the Comelec.

Comelec chairman Andres Bautista earlier welcomed the presence of foreign observers as this gave the Philippines an opportunity to share international best practices, especially those looking to transform from manual to automated polls.

Conversely, the presence of "non-partisan" foreign observers helped create an environment to prevent the incidence of fraud and violence.

"It's a good contribution to improving the political and electoral system in the Philippines," Compact coordinator Arnold Tarrobago said. — RSJ, GMA News