By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com The faint smile on Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo during the evening of May 10 indicated feelings of relief and pride that they were able to push through with the automated elections. A lot of people were bedazzled by the speed by which the election returns were tabulated. Soon,…
Tags: 2010 elections
Meaningful Changes and Social Justice Remain the Primary Challenge to the Filipino People
The last elections show no considerable move towards real societal change. The pursuit of meaningful change, reform in government and social justice remain the outstanding challenge to the Filipino people. The very first automated national elections have committed major errors and technical glitches that they fall short of people’s needs and expectations. These elections were…
Feeling the Climate of Fear in Abra
By ANNE MARXE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com Covering the Abra elections, I felt both excitement and anxiety because the violence surrounding local politics there has been regular fare for the news since last year. But surprisingly, the anticipated violence did not happen. Political analysts and election observers said that it was unusual that the voting in…
Campaign Contributions, Pre-programming Key to Aquino Victory – Sison

By D. L. MONDELO
“The automated electoral system does not prevent the cheating tactics of the past but in fact allows cheating in a bigger and faster way.”
Low Turn-Out in Absentee Voting Due to Ghost of Garci – Migrants’ Group

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
While the 24 percent turnout in the overseas absentee voting during the 2010 elections is higher than the 16 percent turnout in 2007, this is still way below the 65 percent turnout in 2004.
2010 Election Coverage Showed Improvements – Media Watchdog

By CAMILLE ANNE DE ASIS and CIELO EUNICE FLORES
“Media did a better job, but some of the old problems remain,” said Dean Luis Teodoro, Deputy Director of Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.
Street Shooter: After the Polls
After the Polls
Benjie Oliveros | Elections Not Credible Even at the Precinct Level
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com I stand corrected. In a previous analysis “Has the Country Achieved a Clean, Honest, and Democratic Elections,” this writer concluded that except for the long queues, election automation was able to fix the voting process in the precinct level by making the tabulation and transmission of results smoother such that the…
2010 Elections: The Filipino is All-Grown Up
By JENNIFER CHAN Democratic Space Bulatlat.com This year’s presidential elections marked a huge and significant change in Philippine politics. And it’s not just because of the automation process although that, too, is a big deal. For the first time in a long while, people actually wanted to vote. You could see students, employees, and entrepreneurs…
In Basilan, Ballots Were Pre-shaded and Only Chosen Voters Were Allowed to Vote
By BULATLAT Manila— The anti-fraud group Kontra Daya has received information on fraud committed during the May 10 elections in one of the island municipalities in Basilan. The area is a newly created municipality with no electricity and with weak cellular phone signals. According to Kontra Daya, the information came in the form of affidavits…
CenPEG Calls for Independent Probe of Automated Polls
By the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) congratulates the teachers, media, watchdogs, and the Filipino people, for their collective efforts at vigilance and dedication to national interest during the May 10, 2010 national and local elections. Although there should yet be no judgment on the…