00:00The European Union Election Observation Mission to the Philippines releases today its final
00:07report on the observation of the 12 May 2025 national midterm elections.
00:16Upon the invitation of the Philippine authorities, the Election Observation Mission carried out
00:23its work between 28 March and to June 2025. The mission deployed 226 observers from European Union
00:33member states as well as from Canada, Norway and Switzerland. This final report is our legacy and
00:42presents the mission's findings and conclusions following a long-term observation of the electoral
00:49process. First, let me praise the Filipino voters. The turnout was unprecedented for a midterm election
01:00in this country and showed a strong commitment to democratic values despite persistent challenges
01:09that included electoral violence, vote buying, concentration of political power among a few
01:16families and a legal framework marked by significant gaps and ambiguities. These shortcomings call for
01:25reforms and for a comprehensive review of the electoral legal framework which have also been advocated by
01:34many Filipino politicians, candidates, officials, journalists and members of the civil society.
01:42In this report, we are echoing the voice of the hundreds of Filipino interlocutors we met during the mission.
01:53We reported what we observed but also their concerns and their suggestions. This final report includes a total of 21 recommendations
02:06that the election observation mission in line with its mandate now offers to the consideration of the Filipino
02:15politicians and electoral authorities, civil society and the public at large. The proposed recommendations involve
02:26all the electoral process from the campaign environment and finance to voting, counting and the tabulation of results.
02:35Among these, we have identified seven priority recommendations.
02:43The need to recordify and harmonize the legal framework to remove discrepancies and inconsistencies, including
02:52making explicit in the legislation the right of access to polling precincts to all duly accredited election
03:00observers and party representatives. The need to eliminate restrictions on the rights to vote and be elected
03:09for convicted imprisoned imprisoned citizens after a sentence has served. The need to repeal criminal
03:18defamation provisions, including for online activities in favor of civil sanctions.
03:24The need to introduce temporary special measures to achieve gender parity in order to see more
03:32women in elected and appointed positions. We also recommend that the Commission on Elections take effective
03:41measures to ensure the secrecy of the vote because we believe this is one of the most effective means
03:48to address vote buying. These measures could include, for example, improving the layout of polling precincts at
03:55booths, enhancing the training of electoral boards and strengthening voter education by explaining why the
04:04secrecy of voting is important. I will now go into into greater detail about our findings.
04:12The European Union Election Observation Mission Final Report finds that the COMELEC administered the elections
04:22efficiently, took proactive measures to promote inclusiveness and attempted to address and
04:28transit vote buying practices. However, the report also considers that COMELEC's extensive powers to exclude and
04:38disqualify candidates and disqualify candidates based on non-objective criteria and to suspend the
04:44proclamation of duly elected officials are not in line with key international commitments.
04:50The authority to reject nuisance candidates based on a subjective assessment of their credibility poses
04:59challenges for newcomers, reinforcing public perceptions that elections are dominated by elites,
05:06limiting political pluralism and establishing an uneven playing field. Before the elections, the COMELEC issued
05:15resolutions introducing changes on overseas voting, digital campaigning, disinformation, artificial intelligence
05:24and campaign activities. Resolutions addressing red tagging, vote buying and the use of discriminatory and sexist
05:33speech were largely welcomed. However, some of them introduced new rules, raising concerns about legal hierarchy and certainty.
05:45The Commission on Elections communicated effectively electoral preparations, including on the new automated
05:53counting machines and the use of social media platforms. Civil society organizations reported a marked
06:02improvement in information sharing. However, the report also reflects that the electoral administration
06:10responded dismissively or punitively to some concerns. This was the case of a cyber libel complaint
06:18filled by COMELEC against a candidate who expressed concerns about the potential hacking of automatic counting machines.
06:27regarding the legal framework. Regarding the legal framework, we believe that it provides a basis for democratic elections.
06:35However, nearly half of the provisions of the 1985 omnibus election code are superseded by the constitution and other laws,
06:46leaving the electoral legislation scattered and not harmonized.
06:50The key issues remain unaddressed, namely a comprehensive regulation of political parties and provisions to curb the dominance of political families.
07:03Several laws continue to impact human rights and electoral environment, including the Anti-Terrorism Act,
07:12the revised Panel Code, Cyber Crime Prevention Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention Act.
07:20The report finds that freedom of press was respected during the campaign.
07:27Media interlocutors reported an improvement in the general atmosphere within the journalistic community,
07:34particularly at the national level. Nevertheless, long-standing challenges persisted, including
07:43attacks and intimidation against journalists, economic vulnerability and a prevailing culture of impunity.
07:53Regarding this information, we find positive that the electoral administration established a dedicated task force
08:00that collaborated with 24 organizations to identify and remove harmful content.
08:07However, our findings show that some candidates boosted their campaigns by artificially increasing
08:14the number of their followers on social media.
08:19A final note to mention our findings on complaints and appeals.
08:24Although the procedures are consistent with international standards, the deadline for resolving disputes does not allow for effective remedy.
08:36So, ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, I am confident that the Philippines will continue their reform journey.
08:46Core principles as transparency, inclusivity, secrecy of the vote and freedom of expression
08:54are central to the success of these reforms.
08:58The European Union stands ready to support national authorities in implementing these recommendations
09:04to further strengthen the country's democratic path.
09:09All the mission's reports and statements, including this final report, are public, available to all the Filipino people.
09:18We encourage you to download them from our website and to read them.
09:25We offer these recommendations in a spirit of partnership.
09:29A partnership which has a long history between the European Union and the Philippines.
09:34This final report describes our observations during the midterm elections, so it reflects on the past.
09:45However, the recommendations we present are forward-looking, aimed at improving future electoral processes.
09:52Ultimately, it's up to you, the Filipino citizens, your elected lawmakers, the electoral administration and civil society, to determine which recommendations,
10:07which reforms will best serve the country.
10:10Naturally, we hope all of them will be implemented.
10:16But the final decision rests with the sovereign will of the country and its people.
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