Legarda commends COMELEC for orderly 2025 elections, encourages greater access to election data to deepen public engagement

Senator Loren Legarda lauded the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for the peaceful, orderly, and efficient conduct of the 2025 national and local elections, highlighting the speed of result transmission and the overall transparency that characterized 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 said.

“We also extend our deepest thanks to the teachers, poll workers, and countless volunteers whose tireless service made this democratic exercise possible.”

However, Legarda expressed concern over the unfortunate incidents of heightened alerts, crime, and violence that transpired 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. We thank the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for their efforts in ensuring the peace and safety of the electorate,”  she added.

Legarda also reiterated the state’s strong condemnation of the use of violence aimed at influencing election outcomes, emphasizing that such actions undermine the integrity of the democratic process.

Building on this success, Legarda encouraged COMELEC to take the next step in deepening public trust by making anonymized, disaggregated election data, such as demographic voting patterns, more widely accessible to the public. She emphasized that this would not only elevate the quality of democratic discourse but also empower citizens, particularly the youth, to better understand electoral trends and their own role 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 is carefully curated to protect voter privacy, we can enable students, researchers, policymakers, and ordinary citizens to engage more critically with the electoral process,” she noted.

“Understanding how young people vote, what issues resonate across age groups or regions, helps us listen better, govern better, and include better.”

Legarda proposed that COMELEC consider further innovations to elevate public engagement and transparency, specifically by making available comprehensive, anonymized electoral data. She suggested that such a platform could include both present and historical voting data, disaggregated by age, sex, gender, region, ethnicity, educational attainment, and other relevant indicators. The portal could also include key details about candidates, such as whether they are reelectionists or first-time contenders. 

Legarda also proposed fostering partnerships between COMELEC and academic institutions or data analysts/experts to ensure that these efforts are implemented with care, rigor, and integrity. Such initiatives, she said, can promote civic education, fight 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. COMELEC can continue to lead by example, not only in administering elections, but also in enriching the public’s understanding of how democracy works,” Legarda concluded. (30)

*Legarda, pinuri ang COMELEC para sa maayos na Halalan 2025, nais ng mas bukas at malawak na access sa election data para sa lahat*

Binigyang pugay ni Senator Loren Legarda ang Commission on Elections (COMELEC) para sa mapayapa, maayos, at mabilis na halalan ngayong 2025. Ayon sa kanya, kapansin-pansin ang bilis ng paglabas ng resulta at ang malinaw na proseso na nakita sa buong bansa.

“Saludo ako sa COMELEC sa maayos nilang pamumuno ngayong halalan. Malaking bagay din ang sakripisyo at sipag ng ating mga guro, poll workers, at volunteers. Sila ang tunay na bayani ng ating demokrasya,” sabi ni Legarda.

Sa kabila nito, nagpahayag si Legarda ng pag-aalala sa mga nangyaring gulo, krimen, at karahasan sa ilang lugar habang panahon ng halalan.

“Nakababahala na sa panahon ngayon, kung kailan dapat ay iginagalang ang karapatang bumoto, may mga nananakot at gumagamit pa rin ng dahas. Wala dapat lugar ang ganito sa isang demokratikong bayan. Nagpapasalamat tayo sa PNP at AFP sa kanilang ginawang pagbabantay para mapanatili ang kapayapaan at kaligtasan ng mga botante,” sabi niya.

Muling iginiit ni Legarda ang mariing pagkondena ng estado sa paggamit ng karahasan upang impluwensyahan ang resulta ng halalan, at binigyang-diin na sinisira nito ang integridad ng demokrasya.

Dagdag pa ni Legarda, magandang pagkakataon ito para paigtingin pa ang tiwala ng publiko sa pamamagitan ng pagbubukas ng mas maraming impormasyon tungkol sa halalan. Hinikayat niya ang COMELEC na maglabas ng election data na hindi nagpapakita ng pangalan at ibang pribadong impormasyon ng mga botante, pero makatutulong sa pag-unawa ng mga pattern sa pagboto—gaya ng sa kabataan, sa mga rehiyon, at iba’t ibang sektor ng lipunan.

“Kapag mas maraming impormasyon na makikita ang publiko, mas madali para sa mga estudyante, guro, researchers, at mamamayan na maintindihan kung paano bumoboto ang mga tao. Mas nagiging bukas ang usapan tungkol sa halalan at mas lumalalim ang partisipasyon ng lahat,” paliwanag niya.

“Halimbawa, kung alam natin kung paano bumoboto ang mga kabataan o kung anong isyu ang mahalaga sa kanila, mas magiging makabuluhan ang ating mga batas at serbisyo.”

Iminungkahi rin ni Legarda na mas palawakin pa ng COMELEC ang kanilang portal o website para maisama ang mas maraming impormasyon tungkol sa halalan gaya ng edad, kasarian, lugar, antas ng edukasyon, at iba pa. Maaari ring idagdag ang mahahalagang detalye tungkol sa mga kandidato, tulad ng kung sila ba ay reelectionist o unang beses na tumatakbo, at iba pang impormasyon.

Dagdag pang mungkahi ni Legarda na maganda kung makikipagtulungan ang COMELEC sa mga unibersidad, research institutions, at mga eksperto at data scientists upang matiyak na ang mga ganitong mga proyekto ay maisasagawa nang maayos. Ayon sa kanya, ang mga inisyatibong ito ay makatutulong sa pagpapalawak ng kaalaman ng mamamayan tungkol sa halalan, paglaban sa fake news, at pagpapatibay sa mga tagumpay na naabot para sa mas bukas at tapat na halalan.

“Hindi natatapos ang halalan sa araw ng botohan. Mahalaga rin na matuto tayo mula sa resulta at proseso nito. Sa ganitong paraan, mas magiging matibay at bukas ang partisipasyon ng lahat sa ating demokrasya,” pagtatapos ni Legarda. (30)