MANILA (UPDATED) — The 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections were “smooth” and “generally peaceful and orderly” on Monday, poll watchdogs said despite reports of at least three election-related deaths.

The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) all released a favorable initial assessment of the polls.

Namfrel, with 50,000 volunteers nationwide, said the Comelec electoral boards appeared “well-prepared” in handling the process inside the polling centers. Observers reported that voting started on time at 7 a.m., with members of the electoral boards present and the election materials complete.

“So far, since the start of the voting until now, orderly naman ang pagpatakbo ng elections, regardless of the various incidents that have been reported, isolated incidents, in general, the elections have been peaceful,” Namfrel secretary general Eric Alvia told ABS-CBN News.

The group also reported a high voter turnout in most voting centers, with senior citizens turning up early outside voting centers.

Lente, which has around 1,000 volunteers nationwide composed mostly of law students from 45 law schools, paralegals and trained volunteers, said that aside from the usual problems of long lines in voting precincts and missing names in voters’ list, there were no irregularities in the pilot testing of the automated elections system in Dasmariñas City and Quezon City.

• Automated voting kicks off in select QC polling precincts

The group also praised the pilot testing of early voting hours for seniors and mall voting in some areas, particularly the crowd management, with some malls dedicating a special seating area for vulnerable groups like senior citizens, persons with disabilities and pregnant voters.

“Siguro ito 'yung way moving forward sa mga bayan o siyudad na may malalaking mall. Kasi ang reyalidad naman, mas marami pa ring probinsya na malalayo 'yung malls sa mga kabayanan,” Lente executive director Atty. Ona Caritos said.

"So dapat 'yan din yung i-consider ng ating Comelec pag dating sa implementation ng mall voting but so far, 'yung mga reports na natatanggap natin sa ating mga monitors, maayos naman ang pagboto sa mga malls."

• Comelec kicks off pilot mall voting for BSKE 2023

PPCRV national coordinator Dr. Arwin Serrano said that voting for persons deprived of liberty (PDL) were conducted swiftly this year.

He said barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan candidates behaved accordingly, although he did cite some incidents of unlawful electioneering like distribution of sample ballots.

“Generally peaceful at mukhang nag-behave 'yung ating mga baranagay and SK candidates,” Serrano said in a public briefing.

VOTE-BUYING

According to Lente's Caritos, vote-buying remains a top concern. She said 95 percent of the complaints that her group received in the past 3 days were all about vote-buying in different areas in the country.

The Comelec reported Monday afternoon 168 reports of vote-buying, with 28 cases filed, 46 to be filed and 94 under evaluation.

“Ang Comelec, in the past few weeks, naging aggressive sila sa pagfa-file ng kaso laban sa mga election law violators. And in fact may mga kandidatong na-disqualify for vote-buying, for premature campaigning,” Caritos said.

"So dahil dyan, natakot ang ating mga kandidato at 'yung kanilang mga supporters na 'wag masyadong maging pasaway ngayong elections at nitong weekend. So sana, mas makita pa natin 'yang mas aggressive positioning ni Comelec sa darating na 2025 midterm elections."

She also noted problems in the implementation of the Emergency-Accessible Polling Place, a system which allows authorized persons to bring a senior citizen’s ballot downstairs so they don’t have to take the stairs to vote, if their polling precincts are in the upper floors.

The election watchdogs are hoping that some of the innovations Comelec introduced in this year’s polls will be implemented in the next elections in 2025.

• BSKE results 'crucial' to politicians in nat'l level: Marcos Jr

‘BLOODIEST ELECTION IN BANGSAMORO’

Meanwhile, the Council for Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA, formerly International Alert Philippines) and the Early Response Network, working together through their Critical Events Monitoring System, reported 1 death in Lanao del Sur and some injuries in Basilan, as well as some commotions and fistfights and tensions involving the military and armed groups in some areas of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“BSKE 2023 is turning out to be the bloodiest election with violence spread out across the Bangsamoro mainland,” the groups said, noting that rioting, fistfights, and ambushes have remained a common feature in the Bangsamoro.

“Security forces had ample information and time to prepare yet the affected places were the same sport forecasted to be notoriously violent and bloody. How was that possible? Protocols in place were clearly insufficient,” they remarked.

Indigenous peoples, they added, were also “disenfranchised of their right to vote due to intimidation and violence.”

Both groups warned the 2023 BSKE elections is indicative of how the 2025 elections will turn out to be and the country should prepare for the level of violence.

The PNP, for its part, recorded a total of 35 election-related incidents all over the country while it is investigating if 6 more shooting incidents, which killed 5 persons and injured 11, were also connected to the polls.

Four schools were burned while in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, a group of men entered voting precincts in Pilot Elementary School and tore almost 350 ballots. One was arrested.

Voting, however, pushed through in all parts of the country, despite some delays.

No failure of elections was declared.

“Generally, pag tiningnan nyo, mula 5 am hanggang ngayong oras na ito, generally peaceful ang election sa buong bansa. Bagamat may ilang incident ng karahasan na nangyari lalo sa bangsamoro. Sa buong abra wala nadinig na nangyari. Sa red category areas na 365, walang kaguluhan na nangyari,” Comelec chair George Garcia said.

• Comelec: No failure of elections declared in any part of PH during #BSKE2023

VOTER TURNOUT

The Commission on Elections said it was satisfied with the turnout for the early voting and mall voting schemes, and would continue to implement it in the 2025 midterm elections.

“Sa 2025 po kung wala pang early voting law ay patuloy naming ipapatupad ang early voting hours sa buong Pilipinas at 'yung sa ating mall voting ay mas malawak pa nating isasagawa ito katulong ng ating partner malls,” said Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco.

“Lahat ng ito at no cost to the Comelec at to the government. Ang partner malls po natin ang nagsagawa para maidaos ang mall voting natin,” he said.

The Comelec assured the public that adequate personnel from the police are deployed in election hotspots, specifically in Abra province, one of the 365 places marked as red areas this election.

Video from PTV

Watch more News on iWantTFC