Except for some minor glitches and at least one vote counting machine (VCM) in Bacarra town that did not scan the sample election ballots, the final testing and sealing (FTS) of VCMs in Ilocos Norte went smoothly on Friday, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The FTS involved the end-to-end test of the process, from the initialization of the machines to the voting of 10 people, to the feeding of the accomplished ballots to the VCMs, and until the printing of election returns (ERs). In Laoag, some election volunteers and village watchmen joined the FTS in various precincts. As

Filipino voters must be discriminating in choosing the next president and look into the biodata of all 10 candidates. Three days before the May 9 elections, President Rodrigo Duterte said survey results are just predictions. “There are predictions but they are not… [They] remain to be a prediction only. But you know who is the leading candidate in the survey. Sana mag-peaceful lang at maka-ano tayo (I am hoping for peaceful elections),” Duterte said in a taped interview with Apollo Quiboloy aired over Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on Friday. “Please review the biodata ng mga kandidato (of the candidates),

A government which espouses inclusivity among all genders will thrive under the presidency of Senator Panfilo Lacson. Speaking at a town hall forum in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Thursday, Lacson said all Filipinos, including those part of the LGBTQ+ sector (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) said gender equality will be a standard policy of his administration, reiterating that all men, women, and other non-binary individuals will be accorded the same level of respect as basic human rights. “Pare-pareho tayong mga Pilipino. Actually, hindi lang sa Pilipinas, universal right po ito. Individual right ng bawat tao — mapa-lalaki, mapa-babae, mapa-LGBT — lahat

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) will be on red alert in time for the May 9 national and local elections, particularly in the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)-proofing the polls. The OCD said this is in line with the National Task Force Against Covid-19’s (NTF) Memorandum No. 6 last May 2, directing the OCD, all Regional Task Forces (RTFs), and RDRRMCs (Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) to coordinate and mobilize member agencies to adhere to the requirements and needs set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec)’s field offices.

The group of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) president Alfonso Cusi has been recognized as the official members of the political group, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Friday. In an 11-page Resolution, the poll body’s Second Division acknowledged the Cusi wing over the faction of Koko Pimentel III. “Considering that the 31 May 2021 and 16 July 2021 National Council Meetings, and 17 July 2021 National Assembly, and all the predicate resolutions, as well as prior and subsequent acts done pursuant thereto are valid, the following are recognized as the true and official members of the PDP-Laban

Presidential bet Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao seeks to position the Philippines not only as a source of professionals but also as a destination for foreign workers. To do this, he said he would start by boosting the micro, small and medium enterprises, which make up at least 99 percent of all registered businesses in the country. “Iyan ang palalakasin natin para sobra sobra ang trabaho kaysa sa tao, ang mangyayari niyan ang tabaho ang maghahanap ng tao. Tayo hindi na mangangarap na magpunta pa abroad (We will boost that to create jobs. Filipinos won’t ever dream of going abroad to work),”