The Philippine Election International Observer Mission (IOM) has been launched to provide independent monitoring of the Philippine Elections from the February 8 start of the campaign period up to the May 9 voting day, subsequent counting, and declaration of results.

Its organizer, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), attributed the need for this monitoring campaign to the human rights situation under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, as well as corruption and violence in past Philippine elections.

The IOM will be made up of non-Filipino observers in all regions of the Philippines. Their data collection will be compiled every two weeks into a report to be published to the media and all interested parties by the volunteer commissioners who will be outside the country.

Upon the vote counting and declaration of results, the group will issue a final report at an “appropriate time.

“So basically, it looks like a foreigner is there, close to the voting place, in the company of other Filipino observers, and with a recording device—either a notebook, a camera, or both, and a microphone and a way to record a voice as well,” ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy described the monitoring on election day.

But on any given day before the actual elections and during the campaign period, the observers may just be doing research and verifying information, according to Danilo Arao, convenor of election watchdog Kontra Daya.

Already in the Philippines

Although the number of observers who have registered has not been confirmed, around 20 to 30 people are expected to participate and are in the Philippines already.

Additionally, a “significant number” of people from North America would be trying to take part in the observer mission pending travel rules in the coming months, according to Murphy, who speculated at least 30 more would join the mission.

The mission was a recommendation of Investigate PH’s third and final report in September 2021. The said report concluded that the country’s historic conditions (colonialism, poverty, landlessness, exploitation, repression, and rebellion) have been exacerbated by “anti-people” policies of the Duterte government since it came to power in July 2016.

“That’s why this IOM is so important. It is another expression of international solidarity with the Filipino people,” the ICHRP chairperson said during the mission’s February 7 launch.

Arao said the initiative is much appreciated, because it helps bring worldwide attention to the country as it battles state-sponsored repression.

He expects the IOM to complement Kontra Daya’s efforts by providing cross-border comparisons that would enable the Philippines to share ideas on solutions to election-related and societal problems.

“At least research-wise, we’re able to get a fresh perspective from the international community regarding what’s happening,” the Kontra Daya convenor said. “Because as you all know, we’re so used to the things that are happening in the Philippines. And sometimes we lose sight of the fact that what we consider as acceptable would be actually unacceptable within the realm of the concepts of human rights and democracy.”

ICHRP Global Council member Rev. Michael Yoshi added that the IOM’s periodic reports would be amplified by the coalition’s various chapters, concerned solidarity groups, and other networks.

“Having international observers complements what’s being done on the ground and it will bring a fresh perspective,” Lee Rhiannon, an Investigate PH commissioner and former senator of Australia, said.

“And it’s becoming part of what the global community does, too. In these troubled spots, we need to have these international groupings and it continues that important work.”

Election observation is a valuable tool for improving the quality of elections, according to the United Nations (UN).

Specifically, it can help build public confidence in the honesty of electoral processes, promote and protect civil and political rights of participants, lead to correction of errors or weak practices, as well as deter or expose manipulation and fraud.

“Following elections, reports and recommendations by observer groups can lead to changes and improvements in national law and practice,” read a UN publication.