13 May 2004, Putrajaya, Malaysia – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today said that not all international election observers were the same, adding that some were more experienced than others and were more interested in helping improve elections.  The Secretary also said that she had received the compliments of several senior diplomats on the successful and credible 10 May elections.  The Secretary made these statements from Putrajaya, Malaysia where she is attending the Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting of the Committee on Palestine.

“Some international election monitors have chosen to sensationalize certain incidents to try to portray that Filipinos do not know how to carry out elections or to try to prove that the elections were not credible.  Although we gave international observers the widest democratic space, we would prefer that their output be more balanced and objective, and not the result of the work of first-time observers,” Secretary Albert said.

The Secretary said that contrary to what a few international observers claim, there is recognition in the international community that the recently concluded elections were credible. “This is only my first international meeting after the elections, yet I have been besieged by very positive comments coming from the senior officials of several countries.  To the international community, the sensationalized comments of a few observers cannot change the fact that the elections were credible and true,” Secretary Albert said.

The Secretary added that the international elections monitors that she met in Manila were very professional about their work, even though they too had some comments. “Thankfully, the majority of international monitors are not first-time observers. They are professionals and quite experienced.  These are the election observers who truly know how to carry out their work and who do not sensationalize their work.  They work quietly and without fanfare.  Their interest is to truly help us improve things. Their interest is not to sensationalize events.  They are not hungry for public attention.  They just sincerely want to help through responsible reporting,” the Secretary said. END.