GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/16 May) — He may beat all the boxers from all over the world in his division, but in the political arena, Manny Pacquiao is just no match to a diminutive lady several pounds less than his weight.
MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/16 May) — Contrary to expectations, the election for the governorship of Bukidnon turned out to be a lopsided contest between the incumbent, Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr., and Juan Romeo Nereus O. Acosta, the three-term representative of the province's first district. As of today (May 16), initial results of the counting that trickled in from different municipalities indicated that Zubiri is well on his way to a third term. In some precincts in the third district, the governor's bailiwick, Acosta even failed to get a single vote.
KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/16 May) – An administration mayoral candidate in T'boli, South Cotabato has lodged a complaint before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here over the alleged massive vote-buying committed by the camp of the town's incumbent chief executive.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/16 May)– Foreign observers find elections in the Philippines as "too complicated," "prone to fraud," and with overbearing presence of a military that has "gone over the permissible action."
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/May 17)– "This is Philippine election, girl," said the teacher helping the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) when asked why they had recorded only 20 precincts the past two days.
TACURONG CITY (MindaNews/16 May) — Leaders of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) in Sultan Kudarat are smelling something fishy over the delayed arrival of election returns and certificates of canvass from various parts of the province to the canvassing venue at the provincial capitol in nearby Isulan town.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/16 May) — The chief of the "undermanned" Operation Quick Count here organized by the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Catholic Church's National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa) cannot assure a quick count, but said they would rather have an "accurate count."
