PHILIPPINE ELECTION IRREGULARITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86T01017R000605700001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 7, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: MEMO

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Central Intelligence Agency
Philippine Election Irregularities
The list below categorizes voting irregularities reported
during the election and anomalies observed in the vote countin
process.
Although the list includes only a fraction of the
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available evidence, in our judgment it is sufficient to establish
that procedural irregularities engineered by the ruling party
reversed an election victory by Corazon Aquino.
Evidence of voter disenfranchisement is widespread and
irrefutable. Our analysis suggests it may be the most dramatic
of the ruling party's tactics in securing President Marcos's
victory over Corazon Aquino.
the ruling party decided to disenfranchise as many
probable Aquino supporters as possible in urban areas, where
their preelection assessment indicated she had strong support.
Voting is compulsory in the Philippines, and ruling party
observers expected the turnout to exceed that of the 1984
National Assembly election, when 90 percent of eligible voters
actually cast ballots. The Election Commission's estimate of the
total turnout a week ago, however--about 21 million of 26 million
registered voters--suggests that up to 4 million voters were
disenfranchised nationwide--one million in Manila alone.
-- In Makati, the third-largest voting district in Manila,
disenfranchisement included switching voting lists in
middle-class neighborhoods on the eve of the election,
disenfranchising one-third to one-half of the registered
voters.
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-- US Embassy observers reported that the ruling party
canceled the election in two Aquino strongholds in Nueva
Vizcaya Province after staging alleged Communist
insurgent raids.
-- In Pampanga Province, nearly 15 percent of registered
voters were reassigned to other districts without their
knowledge, preventing them from casting their ballots.
In San Fernando City, for example, first time voters--an
estimated 12,000--were excluded from registration lists.
-- In Camarines Sur Province, some 10-15 percent of
registered voters could not find their names on voting
lists.
-- In Bamban, Tarlac Province--an Aquino stronghold--voter
lists were switched on the eve of the election, and an
estimated one-third of the voters--most of whom are
Aquino suporters--were disenfranchised.
-- The US Embassy has also reported evidence of
disenfranchisement in Bulacan, Maguindanao, and Laguna
provinces, and Cotabato, Ozamis, and General Santos
cities.
Other methods of cheating are more difficult to quantify and
pass judgment on. Unlike disenfranchisement, for example, the
purchase of votes is a time-honored tradition in Philippine
politics. Although it undoubtedly contributed to Marcos's
winning margin, it did not exceed the level observed in past
elections.
-- According to the US Embassy, President Marcos approved a
vote-buying plan in early January. Ministry of Local
Government officials throughout the country received $100
dollars each with instructions to use the money to buy
10-15 votes for Marcos.
-- US Embassy observers in Cavite Province reported that
local government officials were engaged in vote-buying
prior to the election.
-- Observers also reported widespread vote-buying during the
election in Iloilo, Zamboanga del Norte, Pampanga,
Maguindanao, and South Cotabato provinces. Votes were
reportedly "purchased" with both cash and government-
supplied rice.
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Direct manipulation of voter returns appeared to be
-- US Embassy observers report that in some towns in
Maguindanao Province, the total number of votes was four
times the actual population. In eight of one city's
precincts only 20-30 votes had been cast one hour before
the polls closed, yet the final tabulation revealed
several hundred votes for Marcos.
-- In Cebu City--the country's third largest--vote switching
was common. A ruling party official and member of the
provincial election board was caught trying to switch a
fraudulent tally sheet for the authentic one.
-- US Embassy observers reported that in Banko, Mountain
Province, ballot boxes were opened, Aquino ballots were
destroyed, and the totals changed. As a result, Marcos
easily defeated Aquino in the area.
-- In Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur Province, Marcos won with
more votes than there were registered voters.
Violence and intimidation--long hallmarks of Philippine
elections--had an effect on the outcome that is difficult to
quantify.
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-- Armed men in the hire of the local ruling party kingpin
in Region 1 (northwest Luzon) forcibly ejected opposition
representatives from polling places, destroyed ballots,
and altered tally sheets to favor Marcos.
-- Armed men affiliated with the ruling party fired their
weapons in a voting district in Manila to prevent NAMFREL
poll watchers from observing the vote and tally at the
precinct level.
-- On 6 February a helicopter carrying a senior NAMFREL
official was forced down by two unidentified helicopters
in Isabela Province, northern Luzon--a stronghold of
President Marcos. According to the US Embassy, the
governor of Isabela has been successful at neutralizing
NAMFREL by employing widespread intimidation tactics
throughout the province.
-- According to the US Embassy, government officials in
Region 2 (northeast Luzon)--a Marcos stronghold--canceled
the election in areas where Aquino was expected to do
well and blamed it on false reports of raids by Communist
insurgents.
-- In the province of Iloilo, where Aquino was expected to
do well, a ruling party kingpin hired 40 heavily armed
members of the "Lost Command"--a violent group of
mercenaries who protect the properties of close Marcos
associates on Mindanao--to intimidate voters. According
to the US Embassy, Aquino received no votes in several of
these precincts.
-- NAMFREL observers were barred from monitoring much of
rural Cebu Province after local KBL kingpin Ramon Durano
threatened them with violence. NAMFREL considered the
voting invalid in these areas.
-- According to the US Embassy, ruling party supporters
intimidated and harassed voters in Region 1 to such an
extent that as many as 150,000 votes cast for Marcos in
the region are open to question.
Ballot box stuffing, the switching of false election returns
for authentic ones, and the use of "flying voters"--where groups
of unregistered supporters cast ballots in multiple precincts--
were also used.
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-- Employees of the Eastern Shipping Line--owned by Roberto 25X1
Benedicto, a close associate of President Marcos--
complained that supervisors had threatened to fire them
if they did not help fill in fake ballots for President
Marcos.
-- According to the US Embassy, 10 ballot boxes accounting
for about 3,000 votes were snatched in Region 6 (Negros)
from precincts affiliated with the opposition. Although
the government is blaming the incident on Communist
insurgents, precincts affiliated with the ruling party
were not disturbed.
-- After NAMFREL watchers were forced to leave precincts in
a district in the Manila area, large groups of pro-Marcos
"flying voters" descended on the district.
-- Ruling party supporters stole ballot boxes from at least
9 precincts in a district in Manila that was expected to
vote heavily for Aquino and dumped the returns into a
gutter. Similar activities took place in Region 5
(Bicol) where at least 1,000 ballots from a single
province were stolen by ruling party supporters.
Most of the military's efforts on Marcos's behalf appear to
have taken place behind-the-scenes or before the ballot--a
departure from the traditional use of the military to deliver the
vote through violence and intimidation.
-- A senior government official--who believes that the
military should have done more to maintain peace and
order at the polling places--says they instead held back
and allowed private armies to engage in intimidation
tactics against voters. He also confirmed that Armed
Forces of the Philippines personnel participated in
filling out blank ballots on behalf of President Marcos
and says that the Air Force used its planes to deliver
these ballots to the provinces.
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-- NAMFREL observers were prevented from monitoring military
personnel as they cast their ballots on a major air base 25X1
in Manila.
-- The government tally shows few returns in Region 2. The
US Embassy says they are being held back in case they are
needed to seal Marcos's victory--F
the
commander o i amor i ruse i n Manila nva i dated the
votes in an enlisted housing area because the personnel
and their families had voted for Mrs. Aquino.
-- In violation of the election code, one of the computers
supporting the government's tally is located at a major
military installation in the Manila area. NAMFREL and
foreign observers were denied access to its operation.
Although the opposition also engaged in election tampering,
the slim resources available to Aquino supporters prevented them
from conducting the kind of widespread and systematic fraud
conducted by the ruling party.
-- In Tagig City, Cavite Province, Aquino supporters
distributed prepared Aquino ballots to voters at the 25X1
polling place and physically prevented pro-ruling-party
voters from voting.
-- In Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental Province, NAMFREL
workers opened ballot boxes and disrupted voting in
several precincts.
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SUBJECT: Philippine Election Irregularities
Distribution:
Copy
1
- OEA/SEA/IB
Copy
2
- D/OEA
Copy
3
- 6 - PDB Staff
Copy
7
- Chief, SEAD
Copy
8
- DChief, SEAD
Copy
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- OEA/Research Director
Copy
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- 14 - CPAS/IMC/CB
Copy
15
- Chief, CH/OEA
Copy
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- Chief, NEA/OEA
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1 Batanes
2 locos Norte
3 Cagayan
4 Abra
5 Kalinga-Apayao
6 11 ocos Sur
7 Mountain
8 Isabela
9 Ifugao
10. La Union
11 Benguet
12. Nueva Vizcaya
13. Quirt no
14. Pangasinan
15. Nueva Ecila
16. Quezon
17 Za,^lbales
18 Tarlac
19. Pampa nga
20 Bu lecan
21 Bataan
22 Riza1
23 Cavite
24 Laguna
25 Camannes Norte
26 Batangas
27. Camarines Sur
28 Catanduanes
29 Mindoro Occidental
30 Mindoro Oriental
31. Marinduque
32 Albay
33 Romblon
34 Sorsogon
35 Masbate
36 Northern Samar
37 Aklan
38 Samar
39 Eastern Samar
40 Capiz
41 Antique
42 Iloilo
43 Leyte
44 Cebu
45 Southern Leyte
46 Negros Occidental
47 Bohol
48 Surigao del Norte
49 Palawan
5n %C C0 mental
51 Siquilor
52 Agusan del Norte
53 Camiguin
54 Surigao del Sur
55 Misamis Oriental
56. Zamboanga del Norte
57 Misamis Occidental
58 Bukidn on
59 Agusan del Sur
60 Zamboanga del Sur
61. Lanao del Norte
62. Lanao del Sur
63 Davao
64 Davao Oriental
65 Maguindanao
66 North Cotabato
67 Basilan
68 Sultan Kudarat
69 Davao del Sur
70 South Cotabato
71 Sulu
72 Tawitawi
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