Philippines: 1) How were the chairmen of elections recruited for the 1980 elections, 2) Did they have to belong to a political party, 3) Were school teachers recruited as election chairmen by force, 4) Reports of intimidation of Marcos supporters by the opposition, 5) Were Marcos supporters on a list of people targeted for assassination by pro-Aquino groups? 6) The present situation for known supporters of Marcos
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PHL6204 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Philippines: 1) How were the chairmen of elections recruited for the 1980 elections, 2) Did they have to belong to a political party, 3) Were school teachers recruited as election chairmen by force, 4) Reports of intimidation of Marcos supporters by the opposition, 5) Were Marcos supporters on a list of people targeted for assassination by pro-Aquino groups? 6) The present situation for known supporters of Marcos, 1 July 1990, PHL6204, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abac0.html [accessed 22 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
1) There is no information available to the IRBDC specifically referring to the recruitment of "chairmen of elections" during the 1980 local elections in the Philippines. The May 1984 parliamentary elections and the February 1986 presidential elections were overseen by a nine-member Commission on Elections. A February 1986 report states that all nine members of the Commission were "personally appointed by [Philippine President Ferdinand] Marcos," while a 1985 press report adds that in July of that year, Marcos appointed three of his "longtime supporters" to the Commission.(The Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1986; The New York Times, 11 August 1985)
2) Another aspect of the electoral system has been the naming of "dominant" opposition groups. During the 1984 election, the United Nationalists were reportedly the largest opposition party but the Commission on Elections designated smaller parties as "dominant". This designation translated into automatic representation on all polling bodies throughout the country. These "supervisory units" oversaw the voting at the local level.(The New York Times, 25 March 1984; The New York Times, 18 March 1984)
3) According to a 1986 press report, during the February 1986 presidential elections, the communist New People's Army (NPA) conducted an armed attacked on a group of election officials and teachers being escorted by the police. This report does not indicate, however, that the teachers were also exercising an official electoral role.(The Los Angeles Times, 9 February 1986)
4) In addition to the information provided in section 3), the U.S. Department of State Country Reports for 1984 state that during the May 1984 elections, the NPA "enforced a boycott by threats of violence."(U.S. Department of State, p. 860)
5) There IRBDC has no publicly available information at this time on the existence of a list of pro-Marcos activists targeted for assassination by supporters of the current Philippine President Corazon Aquino.
6) Please find attached a copy of a previous response to a request for information (no. PHL5153)
Bibliography
Mark Fineman, "Aquino Getting Some Media Exposure After U.S. Pressures Marcos," The Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1986, p. 28.
Steve Lohr, "Marcos Does His Best to Keep Foes Off Balance," The New York Times, 11 August 1985, p. 4.
Robert Trumbull, "Filipinos Start Signing up for New Voter List," The New York Times, 25 March 1984, p. 6.
Robert Trumbull, "Philippine Election Already Stirring Disputes," The New York Times, 18 March 1984, p. 9.
U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1984 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985).
"Vote Tally Slow in Philippines; Marcos, Aquino Claim Victory; Count Continues," The Los Angeles Times, 9 February 1986, p. 1.
