US envoy: Washington notes RP poll fraud

A visiting senior US State Department official on Friday said Washington has taken note of the turbulent midterm elections in the Philippines conducted last May 14. “These are pretty tough elections. Were pleased that overall, elections have gone forward. We know that there are some cases, problems. We know authorities are investigating these," said US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and the Pacific Christopher Hill in a GMA News interview. Hill said although the polls have been marred by violence and charges of fraud, the Philippines has proven again that democracy is operating effectively. “When you look at the standard of the region, it’s not bad at all," he said. Hill’s view sharply contrasted with the International human rights watchdog Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) findings. AHRC said it found “extremely appalling" the extent of deaths, violence, cheating and corrupt practices that have occurred during the recently concluded balloting. Hong Kong-based AHRC said the rise in the rise in the number of poll-related violence has cast questions on the capability of the government, particularly the Philippine National Police (PNP), to enforce the law. “As of May 15, the PNP reported 126 deaths from election-related violence since the beginning of the campaign several months ago. Each of these cases demonstrates the ugly reality of the state of law enforcement in the country," the group said. Asian poll observers were dismayed by the culture of impunity for elections, manipulation of votes and rampant political violence in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) and the National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI) denounced electoral fraud and the use of violence and force in ARMM to undermine the democratic process or gain votes. Some 21 Anfrel observers, who went to the ARMM provinces on election day, witnessed the confusion at polling precincts and other election irregularities.