The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has welcomed the recent pronouncement of US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price that the recently concluded general elections in the Philippines was “in line with international standards.”
“We are really thankful for that and that is the reason why we engage and the law requires an international certification entity,” said Comelec Acting-Spokesman John Rex Laudiangco in a press briefing on Wednesday, May 11, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Laudiangco said that the system used in the conduct of elections were tested beforehand.
“Hindi lang po hardware, hindi lang po software (Not just the hardware and software) but the totality of the electoral process and that includes the transmission—even the transmission routers were all tested and certified,” he said.
“That is why the international observers are really satisfied with the elections that we have been conducting,” he added.
Price made the statement during a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
“What I can say—on the technical standpoint, we understand that the casting and counting of votes have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incidents,” said Price.
The US official said that they are looking forward to further strengthening the relation of both countries under the Philippines’ next administration.
“We're monitoring the election results and we look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities. We look forward with the president-elect, once that person is officially named, to strengthen the enduring alliance between the United States and the Philippines,” said Price.
“It is an enduring alliance that is rooted in a long and deeply interwoven history that shares democratic values and interests and strong people-to-people ties between our countries as friends, as partners, as allies,” he said.
The US will continue to “closely collaborate” with the Philippines “to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” said Price.
“We'll also continue, as I said before, to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law which is fundamental to US relations with the Philippines and in other bilateral contexts as well,” he added.