DEAR Atty. Garcia,
The Gabriela Women's Party (GWP), a sectoral partylist committed to advancing the rights and welfare of marginalized and underrepresented women, has steadfastly campaigned for progressive legislation in the House of Representatives since the 13th Congress. In the upcoming 2025 National Elections, GWP is once again seeking to represent these voices as one of the 156 partylist groups vying for seats.
On May 12, 2025, as the National Elections commenced, votes were cast and promptly began to be tallied and ranked. At 2:03 AM, the Gabriela Women's Party had garnered 252,562 votes, according to data from COMELEC's transparency media server. However, by 2:20 AM, this number had inexplicably decreased by 49,614 votes. Attached are screenshots from ABS-CBN, sourced from COMELEC's transparency server, clearly showing this alarming discrepancy.
This unexplained reduction raises serious concerns about the integrity and transparency of the electoral process. If votes for a sectoral party representing women and other vulnerable sectors can simply vanish without explanation, it risks disenfranchising not only the candidates but the countless women and marginalized communities whose voices they seek to represent.
In addition, data from National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) suggests a staggering 18,499,817 uncounted votes due to overvoting, with 3,315,487 of which being partylist overvotes. Such discrepancies significantly impact the overall partylist election results, thereby disenfranchising millions of voters and distorting the genuine representation that marginalized sectors such as women rightfully deserve.
All of these election-related anomalies are exacerbated by systematic red-tagging and vilification targeting GWP, its representative, leaders, members, and supporters throughout the campaign period and 2025 elections. These persistent attacks against women were reported through several complaints compiled and filed before the Commission.
The Gabriela Women's Party urgently calls on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to thoroughly investigate these matters and ensure the accuracy and security of transmitted electoral data. GWP also strongly demands the initiation of a manual vote count to verify and uphold the sanctity of the people's vote.
At the core of all of these, we urge the COMELEC to take action on the sustained and coordinated efforts to undermine the voice of women, children, and LGBTQIA+ in Congress.
The credibility of our democratic processes is at stake. The women who rely on GWP to advocate for their rights in Congress must not be silenced by system errors and targeted attacks.
Sincerely,
ARLENE D. BROSAS
Representative, 19th Congress
National President
Gabriela Women's Party
SARAH JANE I. ELAGO
National Vice-Chairperson 1st Nominee
Gabriela Women's Party