Makati City: A team of European Union (EU) election observers is closely monitoring reports of possible foreign interference in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections in the Philippines. "Those kind of issues will be closely monitored if they exist. And of course, it is true that from over the years, there have been more and more foreign interference in elections, not only here," Deputy Chief Observer Manuel S¡nchez de Nogu©s stated during a press conference on Friday.
According to Philippines News Agency, visiting Member of the European Parliament and the EU election mission's Chief Observer, Marta Temido, mentioned that a core team of analysts would be monitoring various issues, including election-related violence and foreign interference. "Our report will address those concerns because they are becoming more common concerns nowadays," she added.
In a separate interview, EU Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro emphasized the potential for enhanced cooperation between Manila and the EU to combat foreign interference, citing it as a "common challenge" even for the EU. "This is a common challenge, and I think that we can work even more together, between the EU and the Philippines, to enhance our cooperation when it is about (combatting) the potential foreign information manipulation, or when it is about cyber security attacks," Santoro said.
National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya noted indications of interference by "Chinese state-sponsored groups" in the forthcoming elections. Conversely, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun denied these allegations, asserting that Beijing "follows the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs."
The EU poll observers mission, fully funded by the EU, will be present in the Philippines throughout the election period. Temido assured that the mission would maintain an "independent" and "neutral" stance across all regions in the country. Earlier, around 72 long-term observers were deployed, with over 100 more short-term observers expected in the coming weeks.
During her five-day visit to the Philippines, Temido traveled to Cebu and Pampanga, meeting with numerous stakeholders, including political parties, government officials, candidates, and the Commission on Elections. The EU mission plans to issue its initial findings in a preliminary statement after the polls, followed by a final report with recommendations for future election processes at a later date.
