Imagine a Philippine election: jeepneys blasting campaign jingles, voters clutching sample ballots, and the “occasional” whiff of vote-buying cash—like a fiesta crossed with a telenovela, but with more sequins and shadier deals.
Over the last 30 years, the Philippines has churned out election scandals that could make PGMN writers blush. From massacres to rigged machines, here are six of the most jaw-dropping incidents these past election cycles, proving that Filipino democracy is equal parts grit, chaos, and spectacle.
The Maguindanao Massacre: Blood on the Ballot
In 2009, the Maguindanao Massacre sent shockwaves globally, earning the grim title of the deadliest election-related attack in Philippine history.
A convoy of 58 people, including 33 journalists, was ambushed while filing candidacy papers to challenge the Ampatuan dynasty’s grip on Maguindanao.
The Ampatuans, political warlords with private armies, allegedly orchestrated the slaughter, burying bodies in a mass grave as if hiding a crime straight out of a Netflix crime series.
This tragedy exposed the lethal power of dynasties, leaving a scar on the nation’s democratic soul.
The 1986 Snap Election
Rewind to 1986, when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. staged a snap presidential election to cling to his presidency.
His plan? Rig the vote against Corazon Aquino with the finesse of a toddler hiding candy. COMELEC tabulators at the Philippine International Convention Center were caught inflating Marcos’ tally, but 35 brave technicians blew the whistle, walking out in protest.
Their defiance sparked the EDSA People Power Revolution, toppling Marcos.
Smartmatic’s Shady Systems
By 2016, the Philippines’ automated election system (AES) was raising hackles. Smartmatic, the tech provider, faced scrutiny when three IT experts were arrested for allegedly plotting with a former employee to tweak results.
Earlier, in 2010, reports of machines swapping votes surfaced, yet European observers called it “transparent.” In 2016, unauthorized script changes fueled demands for probes.
It’s like trusting a magician to run a fair raffle, only to find they’ve swapped the tickets mid-draw. These glitches sowed distrust, with voters pining for the days of manual counts.
Vote-Buying Bonanza: Cash, Karaoke, and Votes
Vote-buying is the scandal that just won’t quit, as Filipino as lechon at a wedding. In 2022, international observers flagged “blatant” cash-for-votes schemes, with barangay captains doling out P500 bills and candidates hosting “free” karaoke nights.
One observer quipped, “The only thing cheaper than the votes was the candidates’ pride.” This normalized practice undermines democracy, yet voters often pocket the cash and vote their conscience anyway, turning election day into a bizarre mix of commerce and conviction.
The 1995 Midterm Mess
The 1995 midterm elections introduced the world to “dagdag-bawas” (add-subtract), a vote-shaving scheme that sounds like a math teacher’s nightmare. Candidates’ votes were mysteriously “shaved” and added to rivals’ tallies, especially in tight senatorial races.
Whistleblowers exposed COMELEC insiders manipulating results, with some precincts reporting more votes than voters. The scandal led to reforms, but not before Filipinos coined a term that’s now synonymous with electoral sleight-of-hand. It’s the kind of fraud that makes you check your receipt twice.
The 2013 PCOS Machine Fiasco
In 2013, the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, also by Smartmatic, turned elections into a tech nightmare. Machines jammed, rejected ballots, or failed to transmit results, causing delays and suspicion. In some areas, vote counts didn’t match manual tallies, prompting cries of sabotage.
One voter joked, “The machines were so slow, they could’ve been outrun by a carabao.” The fiasco fueled conspiracy theories and calls for a return to manual voting, proving that sometimes, tech makes things messier.
A Democracy That Endures
These scandals—Maguindanao’s bloodshed, Marcos’ fraud, Smartmatic’s tech troubles, vote-buying sprees, dagdag-bawas tricks, and PCOS glitches—paint a democracy wrestling with warlords, greed, and glitchy machines.
Yet, Filipinos keep showing up, ballots in hand, defying chaos with resilience. This election period, with 29 violent incidents already reported, the nation braces for more drama.
Will we see reform, or just another wild chapter? This is the Philippine paradox: a democracy flawed but fierce, where every vote is a story of struggle and hope.
