Philippine election tally going slowly

By Carlos H. Conde
International Herald Tribune
Published: May 27, 2007

MANILA: Two weeks after Filipinos went to the polls to elect members of Congress and local officials, millions of votes remain uncounted while allegations of widespread fraud favoring the political allies of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo continue to surface, election officials and opposition members say.

On Saturday, sporadic violence and charges of fraud marred special elections that were held in 13 towns in a southern province, where the initial vote had been declared flawed. The votes from that province, Lanao del Sur, totaling nearly 100,000, are enough to determine the outcome of the race for the 12 Senate seats, officials said. The special elections were called because of the high level of violence and vote fraud that occurred in the region during the midterm elections.
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Violence and irregularities mar Philippine vote

By Carlos H. Conde
International Herald Tribune
Published: May 14, 2007

MANILA: Voters went to the polls in the Philippines on Monday to elect their senators, congressmen and local officials, amid reports of election-related violence and allegations of fraud.

The results of the elections will not be known for at least several days because the counting of the votes will be done by hand, a cumbersome process during which more cheating and bloodshed are expected to occur, according to the police.
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Family dynasties bind politics in Philippines

By Carlos H. Conde
The New York Times
International Herald Tribune
Published: May 11, 2007

MANILA: When Julian Resuello, the mayor of San Carlos, a small city in the northern Philippines, was killed by gunmen at a campaign rally on April 28, his brother quickly stepped into his shoes.

Even if Resuello’s brother does not win the election, San Carlos city politics are likely to stay in the hands of the Resuello family - Julian’s son is also running for high office in the city.

Julian Resuello, who was 54 when he was shot while out greeting voters, was running for vice mayor of the city. His son is running for mayor. Such swapping of roles is as common in political families as the violence that has wracked the Philippines in the run up to the elections Monday, when 17,000 national and local positions are at stake, including all 265 House of Representatives seats and half of the 24 Senate seats.
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Election violence escalating in Philippines

By Carlos H. Conde
International Herald Tribune
Published: May 6, 2007

MANILA: With only a week remaining before the elections in the Philippines, violence has been escalating nationwide, with almost daily attacks reinforcing the notoriety of this country’s politics as one of the deadliest in Southeast Asia.

According to the police, 75 people, several of them candidates for positions in provinces, towns and cities across the country, have been killed while more than 80 have been wounded in election-related attacks since the Jan. 14 start of the campaign for the balloting next Monday.
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Philippines deems Peace Corps murder a closed case

By Carlos H. Conde
Published: May 1, 2007
International Herald Tribune
The New York Times

MANILA: The Philippine authorities say they consider a case in which a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer was brutally killed to be closed after a suspect confessed to the crime.

Juan Duntugan, a woodcarver, admitted on television and in a written statement to the police that he killed Julia Campbell, 40, from Fairfax, Virginia, in a fit of rage while both were walking a trail in a hinterland village in Ifugao, a province north of Manila, on April 8.
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