MANILA – A team of European Union (EU) election observers are closely monitoring the reports of possible foreign interference in the upcoming May 12 midterm polls 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 Sánchez de Nogués said in a press conference in Makati City on Friday.
In the same briefing, visiting Member of the European Parliament and the EU election mission’s Chief Observer Marta Temido said a core team of analysts would be monitoring various issues, including election-related violence and foreign interference, among others.
“Our report will address those concerns because they are becoming more common concerns nowadays,” she said.
In a separate interview, EU Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro said Manila and the bloc could further intensify cooperation in addressing such issues, noting that foreign interference is 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,” he said.
National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya on Thursday said there is an indication that “Chinese state-sponsored groups” in the Philippines are “interfering in the forthcoming elections”.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun denied these allegations, saying Beijing “follows the principle of non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs”.
The EU poll observers mission, fully funded by the EU, would be in the Philippines throughout the election period.
Temido said the mission will remain “independent” and “neutral” in the course of its work across all regions in the country.
Some 72 long-term observers had been deployed earlier with over 100 more short-term observers set to arrive in the coming weeks.
In her five-day visit to the Philippines, Temido traveled to Cebu and Pampanga and met with several stakeholders, including political parties, government officials, candidates, and the Commission on Elections.
The EU mission will issue its initial findings in a preliminary statement after the polls and release a final report with recommendations for future election processes at a later state. (PNA)