Archive - News

By JULES L. BENITEZ and AL-KAMAR A. JIDIN Mindanews JOLO, Sulu.—With only two incidents of armed harassment and zero incidents of armed fighting, election day was generally peaceful in the province of Sulu, officials said. The two cases of armed harassment happened in the towns of Panglima Estino and Lugus on election day but no

COMMISSION on Elections Commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Gregorio Larrazabal on Tuesday night joined activists Fr. Robert Reyes and Ernesto Ordoñez in praying for people’s vigilance of government. Sarmiento and Larrazabal went to the tent that Alyansa Agrikultura, Kubol Pag-asa and Aksyon para sa Kapayapaan put up outside the gate of the Philippine International Convention Center,

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS SEN. Alan Cayetano’s wife Lani, representative of Taguig-Pateros (1st district), was finally proclaimed as Taguig mayor at about 5 p.m. today.  But the proclamation at City Hall was marred by a tear gas incident. “We were greeting everyone after Lani’s proclamation and talking about Lani’s desire for peaceful reconciliation, then suddenly we

By Citizen Journalists-Pampanga SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga. — Traditional politics and trash. Both dominated this year’s  local elections in Pampanga as Kapampangan voters trooped to their polling places last Monday amid an avalanche of campaign materials. In the end, they settled for familiar names in the country’s first automated elections.

INTERNATIONAL observers who monitored the May 10 automated polls documented many cases of election irregularities in different parts of Maguindanao, including what they described as the “worst case of cheating” in Buldon town. The foreign observers from the Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections (COMPACT) reported massive vote buying and multiple voting in the polling

BY ELLEN TORDESILLAS THE Commission on Election  Tuesday night issued a resolution that would speed up the proclamation process. The resolution read by Comelec  Chairman Jose Melo states: “The regional directors are authorized to approve requests of the board of canvassers in their respective regions to  lower the the canvassing threshold to enable the board

By MINDANEWS ILIGAN CITY.–Six persons have been killed in election related violence in Lanao del Sur, a poll watchdog said. Ibrahim Salic, head of Citizens Coalition for ARMM Responsible Election (Citizen’s CARE) reported that three were killed in an encounter Monday between armed men and soldiers in Kapai. More...

By LEYTE SAMAR DAILY EXPRESS TACLOBAN CITY.–  Two men were gunned down in Sta. Margarita town, Samar Sunday night in what is believed to be a case of election-related violence (ERV). The victims were identified as Rodrigo de la Peña and David Casaljay, who were on board a motorcycle when they were gunned down in

by NINA TOMEN Citizen Journalists-Pampanga SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga.—It was past midnight, hours after voting in Monday’s first automated elections had ended. But in many precincts here and elsewhere in the province, as well as the country, boards of elections inspectors (BEIs) were still busy sorting out the printed returns and sealing these before delivering these

By MARK JOSEPH UBALDE THE proclamation of winners may be delayed not by the transmission of the election results but by questions that will be raised in the proceedings, Commission on Elections Chair Jose Melo said Tuesday. “The proceedings, not the results will delay the proclamation,” Melo said when asked if a proclamation could be

NACIONALISTA candidate and Sen.  Manuel Villar on Tuesday conceded defeat in the presidential elections and congratulated frontrunner Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Villar called a press conference at around 11 a.m. in Mandaluyong, while results of the Comelec count showed him trailing at third place with some 4 million votes, behind Aquino who was leading with

By JOSEPH ARNEL DELIVERIO THREE armed persons were killed early Monday morning in a brief gunbattle with police operatives in R.T. Lim town in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Joint elements of the local police and the Philippine National Police Special Armed Forces provincial office were manning a checkpoint in Barangay Poblacion at 2 a.m. when an

By BUENA BERNAL PANGASINAN’S coastal town of Dasol was placed under the control of the Commission on Elections last Saturday, but reelectionist Mayor Noel Nacar said on Monday the move was unnecessary and has tainted the town’s image. On May 3, Nacar’s political rival, Sergio Jimenez, filed a two–page petition accused Nacar of using the

VOLUNTEER-lawyers of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) on Sunday reported two incidents of vote-buying in Isabela, making them the first two reports that had reached Lente’s complaint desk. In Barangay Buculud in the capital city of Ilagan, a roving Lente volunteer reported that barangay kagawads identified as supporters of Isabela Governor Bodgie Dy

By LENTE The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to give the 29th copy of the election returns to the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), which it recently accredited as a national citizens’ arm handling the legal aspects of the presidential elections. The decision was reached in an en banc session Saturday, as Comelec

EIGHTY-SIX percent of registered voters will vote according to social interest rather than self-interest, according to the April pre-election poll of the Social Weather Stations. Majority will also decide for themselves rather than be told whom to vote for, believe popular  support rather than political machinery wins the election for a candidate, and will follow

By LORENA NAVALLASCA PROCESS Foundation Panay ONE person was killed as six supporters of mayoral candidate Gil Bandoja were ambushed reportedly by members of the local Philippine National Police in Tibiao town in  Antique at  3 a.m Sunday. One survivor said their cars were blocked by PNP patrol cars, forcing them to slow down before

By VIOLETA M. GLORIA Mindanews ILIGAN CITY.—Local Liberal Party candidates led by reelectionist congressman Vicente Belmonte of the lone district of Iligan and mayor Lawrence Cruz paraded Saturday afternoon with supporters from hinterland and coastal communities to ‘show force.’ They assembled from four centerpoints of the city and converged along Quezon avenue near Saint Michael