PHL Vote 2016

By AMIEL CAGAYAN and EMMANUEL CAGAYAN MARBEL, South Cotabato – There were no assigned accessible polling places (APPs) in South Cotabato during the May 9 polls, but persons with disabilities (PWDs) who voted here said their experience was better than in previous elections. In lieu of APPs were express lanes, where PWD voters, as well

By VEN LABRO CATBALOGAN City – Save for a few newbies, Eastern Visayas remains pretty much in the tight grip of political families. When the dust settled in the political arena in the region days after the May 9 elections, all its six incumbent governors remained standing. In Leyte, reelectionist Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla trounced

President Obama spoke by phone today with presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines to convey his congratulations. President Obama noted that the successful election and record voter participation were emblematic of the Philippines’ vibrant democracy. The President highlighted the enduring values that underpin our thriving alliance with the Philippines and the longstanding ties between

By AMIEL CAGAYAN and EMMANUEL CAGAYAN MARBEL, South Cotabato – There were no assigned accessible polling places (APPs) in South Cotabato during the May 9 polls, but persons with disabilities (PWDs) who voted here said their experience was better than in previous elections. In lieu of APPs were express lanes, where PWD voters, as well

By LUCILLE SODIPE CEBU City – Election volunteers Krugger Tabada and Leah Recia, both persons with disabilities (PWDs), were startled by the high voter turnout in a polling place here last May 9. They were expecting some 50 PWDs to vote in the emergency accessible polling place (EAPP) here at the Mabolo Elementary School, but

By LUCILLE SODIPE CEBU City — Just hours away from the opening of the May 9 elections, teachers assigned at a polling place here were informed they need to instantly set up an emergency accessible polling place (EAPP). In this video, find out how they still managed to assist persons with disabilities (PWDs) exercise their

By AMIEL CAGAYAN and EMMANUEL CAGAYAN MARBEL, South Cotabato – There were no assigned accessible polling places (APPs) in South Cotabato during the May 9 polls, but persons with disabilities (PWDs) who voted here said their experience was better than in previous elections. In lieu of APPs were express lanes, where PWD voters, as well

By VEN LABRO CATBALOGAN City – Save for a few newbies, Eastern Visayas remains pretty much in the tight grip of political families. When the dust settled in the political arena in the region days after the May 9 elections, all its six incumbent governors remained standing. In Leyte, reelectionist Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla trounced

President Obama spoke by phone today with presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines to convey his congratulations. President Obama noted that the successful election and record voter participation were emblematic of the Philippines’ vibrant democracy. The President highlighted the enduring values that underpin our thriving alliance with the Philippines and the longstanding ties between

By AMIEL CAGAYAN and EMMANUEL CAGAYAN MARBEL, South Cotabato – There were no assigned accessible polling places (APPs) in South Cotabato during the May 9 polls, but persons with disabilities (PWDs) who voted here said their experience was better than in previous elections. In lieu of APPs were express lanes, where PWD voters, as well

By LUCILLE SODIPE CEBU City – Election volunteers Krugger Tabada and Leah Recia, both persons with disabilities (PWDs), were startled by the high voter turnout in a polling place here last May 9. They were expecting some 50 PWDs to vote in the emergency accessible polling place (EAPP) here at the Mabolo Elementary School, but

By LUCILLE SODIPE CEBU City — Just hours away from the opening of the May 9 elections, teachers assigned at a polling place here were informed they need to instantly set up an emergency accessible polling place (EAPP). In this video, find out how they still managed to assist persons with disabilities (PWDs) exercise their

AKO-Bicol and Gabriela affirmed their dominance among the 115 partylist groups by garnering three seats each in the May 9 elections. 1PACMAN, endorsed by boxing champ and presumptive senator Manny Pacquiao, won two seats. Its first nominee is businessman Mikee Romero, whose family is into ports and brokerage business. KABAYAN, with lawyer Harry Roque as

Senate President re-electionist Franklin Drilon takes the lead in the senatorial race with results of the May 9 elections from 121 out of 164 provinces. Coming close at second place is newcomer Joel Villanueva, Director-General of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, followed by re-electionist Tito Sotto. Holding on to the the last slot is

As of 11 pm, the PPCRV-KBP unofficial election count shows Rodrigo Duterte garnering 12,924,166 votes. Mar Roxas takes the second place with  7,533,599 votes, overtaking Grace Poe now with 7,319,008 votes. Jejomar Binay  stays in fourth place with 4,372,141 votes, followed by Miriam Defensor Santiago (1,256,566 ) and Roy Señeres (19,228). In the vice presidential race, Ferdinand Marcos

By FERDINANDH B. CABRERA, MindaNews SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao — Voters here say the next elections in this town should have police officers instead of teachers as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) as the special elections Saturday in Barangay Katuli started and ended with no untoward incident. “Voting went on smoothly without delay and

By FREDERIC LORENZO UPI, Maguindanao – Sixty-year-old Herminio Lacave will walk two kilometers to cast his vote tomorrow. Born with a smaller left leg, Lacave calls on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make it easy for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to vote. “Bilang isang PWD, nanawagan ako sa Comelec na bigyan kami ng isang

By YANG AMING Podcast By BABYLYN KANO-OMAR BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi — Ten of the 11 island municipalities here appear set for the presidential elections Monday, save for Mapun, where vote-counting machines (VCMs) are yet to be tested. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday tested 81 machines in the capital Bongao, and found only one did not print

THE Random Manual Audit (RMA) Committee has released the official list of clustered precincts selected for random manual audit Tuesday. Representatives of the RMA team will be deployed to 715 cities and municipalities nationwide to manually count the votes. The results will then be compared to the election returns prepared by the Board of Election

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL TARPAULINS and posters of candidates vying for national posts are everywhere, from billboards, vehicles and lamp posts. But are they supposed to be there? For this year’s elections, the Commission on Elections has imposed stricter measures on posting campaign paraphernalia. Citizens are encouraged to report cases of illegally posted campaign materials

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL AFTER months of debate, the Commission on Elections has finally resolved to activate the on-screen verification (OSV) feature of vote-counting machines (VCMs) for the May 9 elections. Voters will be allowed a maximum of 15 seconds to verify whether or not their choices are accurately read by the VCMs. If there are

By COOPER RESABAL MARIBOJOC, Bohol—The shower of cash for votes came early in May in the island province of Bohol, ahead of Monday’s polls both for the country and the province’s executive positions. “I was just standing in the purok hut here (barangay Toril) when men in a motorcycle stopped and distributed some cash from

By YVETTE MORALES DESPITE three major election-related incidents (ERIs) and a number of election violations, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines said today’s elections have so far been “generally peaceful.” The number of ERIs are far less compared to the 92,000 clustered precincts, PNP Spokesperson Police Chief Supt. Wilben

Text by: EMMANUEL CAGAYAN Video by: AMIEL CAGAYAN TACURONG CITY – The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) reminded its volunteers of their role to secure the vote of Filipinos today. Over 300 volunteers attended the final briefing at the Nuestra Sra. dela Candelaria Parish on Saturday. The volunteers will be deployed in 24 polling

  By DANIEL ABUNALES FOURTEEN days before the May 9 polls, former presidential bet frontrunner Jejomar Binay suffered his biggest setback. The United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) standard-bearer plunged to fourth place in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll survey. He posted a rating of 14 percent – six points lower than his previous results.

STATEMENT: Independent senatorial candidate Greco Belgica was asked in a television interview on March 15 what his first bill would be if he won a seat in the Senate. He said he would push for a flat tax system on personal income. “Flat rate, meaning if you make P1 million, you pay P100,000. If you

STATEMENT:  Former energy secretary and Liberal Party senatorial bet Jericho Petilla said in an April 6 television interview he was “branded the father of renewable energy.” “Before I came in as secretary, wala kang maririnig na renewable (you would not hear of renewable energy),” he said. Discussing the prospects for a “good mix” of coal and

STATEMENT: During the CNN vice presidential debate on April 10, candidates were asked about their plans to ensure that the rapid economic growth of the Philippines continues. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano responded by bringing up the issues of criminality, illegal drugs and poverty, which he said are all worsening. Cayetano said: “Ang ekonomiya po ay

The Commission on Human Rights compiled election-related violence (ERV) incidents from all over the country from June. Half or 26 out of 49 reported ERV incidents occurred in Mindanao. Of this, 23 victims were killed or wounded by gunshot, despite the gun ban and checkpoints implemented by the Commission on Elections on January 10. Hover

NEARLY 1.4 million overseas Filipinos are registered voters in this year’s polls. They will be voting starting April 9 through five modes, including the automated election system (AES), postal manual voting, personal AES, manual voting and modified postal manual system. Find out how many they are and where they are in these visualizations: *Regions not

THE Commission on Elections website, as of March 7, lists the advertising contracts of 15 candidates for national positions. Hover your mouse over the bars to see the amounts these candidates have spent.

    By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS CANDIDATES for the 2016 May elections, especially those running for president and vice-president, should read the findings of the EON’s 2015 Philippine Trust Survey which tells that Filipinos want from their leaders to listen to and feel for them. The PTI, which EON started in 2011, is not an

By ELLEN  T. TORDESILLAS Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. is the biggest gainer among those who filed their certificates of candidacy  last week, placing second in the vice-presidential race that has always been dominated by Chiz Escudero, running mate of presidential candidate Grace Poe, results of the survey conducted by the Magdalo group four days  after

                               By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS PULSE Asia’s latest poll on approval and trust ratings of top government officials showed Vice President Jejomar Binay suffering a huge minus 15 drop in performance and minus 18 in trust in the span of three