VZCZCXRO3817
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #3576 3040829
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 310829Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8786
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS MANILA 003576 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MTS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL RP
SUBJECT: NATIONWIDE VILLAGE ELECTIONS SEE HIGH TURNOUT AND 
LOWER VIOLENCE 
 
REF: MANILA 3547 
 
¶1. (U)  Summary:  High voter turnout of between 70-75 percent 
and lower levels of violence than in previous elections 
marked the Philippines' October 29 nationwide village 
elections.  Voters in nearly 42,000 districts elected over 
300,000 councilors who will manage day-to-day government 
affairs at the neighborhood level.  An equal number of "youth 
councilors," aged 15 to 18, were elected separately to 
represent youth concerns within the village leadership 
structures.  The elections were more peaceful and orderly 
compared to previous election seasons, and only a relative 
handful of villages were unable to carry out the vote. 
However, the elections were not free of violence or fraud. 
The police are actively investigating 29 election-related 
deaths and 24 injuries, many of which occurred on election 
day and the day before the polls opened.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U)  More than 35 million voters went to the polls on 
October 29 to elect local-level officials in their 
neighborhoods and villages, or barangays (reftel).  Voter 
turnout was impressive -- perhaps as high as 75 percent of 
the 51 million registered voters.  Acting Elections 
Commission Chairman Rex Borra speculated that the turnout 
exceeded that of the 2002 village elections (68 percent), and 
may even surpass the May 2007 midterm Senate and 
Congressional elections (73 percent). While these are 
non-party elections in which candidates did not run under the 
banner of political parties, there was national political 
interest in the outcome as the local council leaders play a 
key role in getting out the vote during Congressional and 
Presidential polls. Local council members also receive some 
benefits for their service, including a small stipend (from 
$75 to $450 per month), health insurance and free education 
tuition for their children at local public schools. 
 
¶3. (U)  As in years past, the elections in some districts 
were messy and even violent.  The Philippine National Police 
reported 53 election-related violent incidents since the 
start of the campaign period on September 27, including 29 
fatalities.  The majority of the 29 deaths were candidates or 
incumbent village officials.  These estimates are 
considerably lower when compared to the 2002 village 
elections that left 75 people dead and 69 others wounded. 
 
¶4. (U)  There were also reports of vote-buying, especially in 
depressed neighborhoods of metro-Manila and in the Visayas, 
as well as reports of "flying voters" (a Philippine practice 
in which candidates hire people to vote under fictitious 
names in precincts other than their own).  The Commission on 
Elections declared a failure of elections in a few dozen 
precincts because of reported violence at the polling 
stations, or where poll workers failed to report to work 
because of intimidation.  The majority of reported failures 
were in Mindanao, including three towns in the Autonomous 
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).  Reports of fraud renewed 
calls for automation by the 2010 presidential elections. 
 
¶5. (U)  Civil-society monitoring groups were present in most 
precincts and played an active roll as poll watchers 
throughout election day.  Henrietta de Villa, chairperson of 
the largest poll-watching group, highlighted a "noticeable 
improvement compared to the May 14 midterm elections," citing 
fewer voter complaints and decreased levels of violence.  The 
Commission on Elections is expected to proclaim the winners 
within a few days, except in villages where the results were 
challenged or the Commission declared a failure of the 
election. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Comment:  While these elections were not flawless, 
the high voter turnout demonstrates the Philippines' -- and 
more importantly, its citizens' -- commitment to the 
democratic process.  The overwhelming majority of the 42,000 
villages had few, if any, problems on election day.  While 
violence and fraud did affect some districts, these village 
elections were clearly a step towards a freer, fairer, and 
more peaceful electoral process. 
KENNEY