MANILA, (PIA) — Senator Loren Legarda praised the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the peaceful, orderly, and efficient conduct of the 2025 national and local elections, emphasizing the swift transmission of results and the transparency that marked this year’s polls.
“We must commend the Comelec for the professionalism and efficiency it demonstrated during the 2025 elections. The swift and credible transmission of results, coupled with a well-managed voting process nationwide, reflects years of institutional strengthening and reform,” Legarda stated.
She also expressed gratitude to teachers, poll workers, and countless volunteers whose dedication made the democratic exercise successful.
Despite the overall success, Legarda voiced concerns over incidents of heightened alerts, crime, and violence reported in some areas during the election period.
“It is deeply troubling that in this modern age, where the right to suffrage should be upheld by all, any form of suppression or violence has no place in our democracy,” she remarked. She thanked the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for their efforts in ensuring public safety.
Legarda reiterated the state’s strong condemnation of violence aimed at influencing election outcomes, emphasizing that such actions undermine the integrity of democracy.
Looking ahead, Legarda encouraged Comelec to deepen public trust by making anonymized, disaggregated election data, such as demographic voting patterns, more accessible.
She argued that this move would enhance the quality of democratic discourse and empower citizens, especially the youth, to understand electoral trends and their roles in shaping national outcomes.
“We are in a unique position to bring our democracy to the next level. By releasing more open and granular data that protects voter privacy, we can enable students, researchers, policymakers, and ordinary citizens to engage more critically with the electoral process,” she noted.
Legarda proposed that Comelec consider further innovations to enhance public engagement and transparency, including making comprehensive, anonymized electoral data available.
The lady senator suggested a platform that could feature both current and historical voting data, disaggregated by various indicators such as age, sex, gender, region, ethnicity, and educational attainment.
Additionally, Legarda recommended fostering partnerships between Comelec and academic institutions or data analysts to ensure the integrity of these initiatives. Such collaborations could promote civic education, combat disinformation, and sustain the gains made in electoral transparency.
“Transparency does not end at the ballot box. It extends to how we reflect on our choices, learn from our shared experience, and refine the democratic space we all inhabit,” Legarda concluded, urging Comelec to continue leading by example in administering elections and enriching public understanding of democracy. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
