By 
Alyssa Almonte
Edmond Dantès, February 27, 2021
With the upcoming midterm elections in the Philippines, several organisations are ramping up efforts to monitor the elections to ensure fair and transparent procedures amid rising concerns over political violence and human rights issues.
As the 2025 midterm elections in the Philippines draw near, numerous organisations and human rights groups have expressed concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process and the candidates’ legislative agenda, particularly in relation to human rights issues.
To address these concerns, the European Union has deployed its Election Observation Mission (EOM), consisting of around 200 election observers. These observers will be stationed across all regions of the country to closely monitor the election process on May 12, 2025. The EU aims to monitor the transparency of the voting and counting procedures.
Likewise, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) has established the International Observer Mission (IOM) to monitor the elections in light of increasing problems regarding electoral violence, fraud, and disinformation. The ICHRP has expressed that the country faces a deteriorating human rights situation and that there is a need to protect the civil and political rights of the citizens throughout the electoral process.
The Commission of Elections has already reported a concerning rise in political violence, with 46 documented incidents occurring between January 12th and April 11th, 2025. These incidents raise concerns regarding the security and safety of the electoral candidates and the overall political landscape in the Philippines.
In addition to the efforts of the monitoring bodies, civil society and advocacy groups have been actively engaging with electoral candidates to advocate for the inclusion of human rights issues within their legislative agendas. These issues encompass justice for victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances and the reduction of red-tagging threats. Human rights advocates are also pushing for policies to protect the rights of marginalised groups such as women, children, farmers, workers, and indigenous peoples.
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