Parties allied with BBM-Sara Duterte call for honest elections

TAGUM CITY, Philippines — Eight political parties allied with the leading tandem of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte-Carpio called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful elections on Monday.

In a manifesto, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) of Marcos and Lakas - Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) of Duterte-Carpio yesterday reminded the poll body of its duty to protect the people’s right to suffrage, which they said is “inviolable” and “must be respected.”

“On May 9, our people will again troop to the polls to exercise their right to choose the nation’s leaders. The right to suffrage is inviolable, and the people’s will must be respected. As leaders of our respective political parties, we now join hands and stand with the Filipino people in sounding the clarion call for an honest, transparent and orderly elections,” the parties stressed.

The PFP and Lakas-CMD were joined by Hugpong ng Pagbabago, Nacionalista Party, Partido ng Masang Pilipino, National Unity Party, PDP-Laban and Reform Party in issuing the call.

The parties supporting the Marcos-Duterte tandem, dubbed BBM-Sara UniTeam, also gave the Comelec some recommendations, including ensuring that all vote counting machines (VCMs) are in place and operational in all polling precincts on Monday, and that spare VCMs be made readily available in case some will malfunction or are found to be defective.

They also called for prompt transmission of votes from the precinct level to the canvassing and tabulations centers and for transparency in transmissions.

The parties urged the Comelec to “set in place all the safeguards necessary to avoid possible glitches in counting, transmission and canvassing of votes.”

“With days to go before May 9, we trust that all systems are now in place to hold a fair and free elections. We trust in the integrity of our Comelec commissioners, and we believe in the honesty and competence of all men and women supervising the elections,” the groups said.

“We join our people in praying that the results of the 2022 elections usher in a new era of peace and development for our country and for our people,” they said.