Elections in the Philippines remain rotten, corrupt and bloody, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said a few days before the May 12 mid-term elections.
The underground revolutionary party said leading candidates in both national and local positions are openly buying votes and bribing their way to victory, often using public funds and resources.
In a statement Thursday, the CPP also denounced all sorts of gimmicks, including overspending in advertisements and surveys by traditional politicians.
“How the Marcoses and Dutertes, two of the most rotten dynasties in the country, elbow each other out is emblematic of the character of the elections,” CPP chief information officer said.
The CPP said they would not be surprised if chaos ensue on election day as the unproven Miru automated voting machines would be employed for the first time.
It had been popular belief that those in power manipulate the elections through the voting machines, it said.
“This was how the Marcos-Duterte tandem won in 2022. It will be the same these coming elections,” Valbuena said.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) last week said that the campaign period remained “generally peaceful” despite several incidents of violence ahead of the polls.
“The country is generally peaceful despite some areas placed under red category,” Comelec chairman George Garcia claimed in a radio interview.
The Philippine National Police meanwhile said it had validated 35 election-related incidents with 13 reported fatalities as of last week.
The Comelec ordered the deployment of elite police officer units and military troops in several areas such Abra and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao where candidates, supporters and election officers have been killed since the start of the campaign season.
Garcia also admitted to having validated 35 election related incidents with 13 reported fatalities.
The poll body also received several complaints of violations of election rules, including vote-buying and widespread discrimination by candidates.
The CPP said that amid the chaotic elections, the Filipino people’s poverty could not hope to be addressed.
“There is no genuine participation and representation for the Filipino masses. The politicians are desperate to paint a picture of democracy at work but, the truth is, the elections only benefit the bureaucrat capitalists, the bourgeois compradors and the landlords,” the CPP said.
The group said that whoever wins among the Marcos or Duterte camps on Monday, the rottenness of the electoral process, along with the ruling system, would be heightened.
The CPP called on the Filipino people strengthen their unity and take the road of militant struggle.
It said that more real struggle awaits the people after the elections, including the International Criminal Court trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the worsening economic situation of the country, as well as the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government’s puppetry to the United States in its rivalry against China. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
