International Peacemaking and Human Rights Programs

Activities By Country

Philippines

The Carter Center deployed a limited observation mission to the Philippines for the May 10, 2010, elections to observe the use of automated voting technology: its impact on the election process and public confidence in the system. Previous Carter Center e-voting observation missions, part of the Democratic Election Standards project, included the 2006 Venezuela elections and the 2008 U.S. elections.

Waging Peace

Elections in the Philippines have long been marked by low public confidence and allegations of fraud and corruption. In previous years, the canvassing, or aggregation, or election results has taken upwards of two months in the postelection period, fostering widespread concern over ballot security and transparent results transmission. Perhaps most notably, the 2004 presidential elections were marked by the Hello Garci scandal, an alleged vote buying scheme involving both the election management body and the incumbent president.

Read full text on the Carter Center's peace work in the Philippines >

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QUICK FACTS: PHILIPPINES

Size: 300,000 square kilometers

Population: 99,900,177

Population below poverty line: 32.9 percent

Religions: Roman Catholic, 80.9 percent; Muslim, 5 percent; Evangelical, 2.8 percent; Iglesia ni Kristo, 2.3 percent; Aglipayan, 2 percent; other Christian, 4.5 percent; other, 1.8 percent; unspecified, 0.6 percent; none, 0.1percent

Life expectancy: 71 years

Languages: Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Ethnic groups: Tagalog, 28.1 percent; Cebuano, 13.1 percent; Ilocano, 9 percent; Bisaya/Binisaya, 7.6 percent; Hiligaynon Ilonggo, 7.5 percent; Bikol, 6 percent; Waray, 3.4 percent; other, 25.3 percent

(Source: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook 2010)

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