Protests Rock Panay Over 2025 Poll Irregularities

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By Juliane Judilla

Tensions flared across Panay Island following the 2025 midterm elections amid allegations of widespread irregularities in the automated voting system.

Protesters in multiple areas demanded a return to manual vote counting and questioned the credibility of the Commission on Elections.

On Wednesday, May 14, progressive groups in Aklan staged a protest outside the Aklan provincial COMELEC office.

Demonstrators joined a growing nationwide call for transparent and credible elections, citing concerns over the automated election system.

Makabayan Aklan provincial coordinator George Calaor led the protest and submitted a formal complaint to provincial election supervisor Atty. Roberto A. Salazar.

The protest cited “glaring irregularities” in vote tallies that allegedly disadvantaged Makabayan Coalition candidates.

In Iloilo City, activists, watchdogs and concerned citizens gathered at the COMELEC Region 6 office demanding accountability.

They questioned the use of software version 3.5 instead of the previously audited version 3.4, citing risks of vote duplication and inconsistencies in voter turnout.

Protesters also condemned intensified red-tagging of legal organizations on election day, including discriminatory placards displayed around the city.

Makabayan Coalition Panay said such actions further erode public trust in the democratic process.

Election watchdog Kontra Daya Panay recorded 155 election-related incidents in the region, with 61% linked to automated counting machine malfunctions, totaling 95 cases.

The next highest category involved general process errors, accounting for 16.77% or 26 cases.

Common issues included paper jams (21 cases), unreadable ballots due to smudged ink (14 cases) and overvoting (13 cases).

Other complaints included missing voter names, rejected ballots without contingency measures, transmission delays and a lack of voting receipts for many overseas voters.

Only 20% of overseas voters were reportedly able to cast their ballots.

COMELEC has not yet issued an official response but earlier said it is committed to reviewing the incidents and ensuring election credibility. (Photos by: Kontra Daya Panay, Koalisyong Makabayan Aklan)