Philippines counts by candlelight

By CNN's Maria A. Ressa

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- It was a tremendous undertaking with much at stake for the Philippines.

Mid-term elections gained added importance after the change in government and recent violence in this country. But it was a logistical challenge.

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Nearly 37 million registered voters chose more than 17, 600 officials in more than 230,000 polling stations. That includes more than half the Senate and ALL the House of Representatives.

Tasked to carry out the elections: about 7,000 teachers and volunteers working with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

All public school teachers were required to take part: many of them working 24 hour shifts to make sure the tedious manual preparations before, during and after the elections are carried out correctly.

At one point, teachers counted votes Monday evening by candlelight -- with security guards around the room to prevent cheating.

But not everything was under their control. Some of the problems Monday stemmed from the actual administrative setup and controls put in place by COMELEC.

An internal rivalry in COMELEC led to an early dispute about the voter lists -- which was never corrected.

Voters not on lists

NAMFREL, the citizen-watchdog group, called attention to this. Its chairman, Jose Concepcion, told CNN there were "significantly substantial" numbers of voters who did not appear on the lists and were thus not able to vote Monday.

Part of the reason that problem was never solved was because of a rivalry that split COMELEC along the same lines that galvanized these elections: between the supporters of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the supporters of her predecessor, Joseph Estrada.

None of this was publicly addressed on election day. When asked about the problem with voters lists, COMELEC Commissioner Luzviminda Tantangco said: "We've been trying to fix this for two years. We can't fix this overnight."

The counting happens on two levels: first at the precinct -- which could take up to three days in some polling stations.

Then the teachers and volunteers bring the ballot boxes and their tally sheets to central locations called 'canvassing centers.' This begins the nationwide count.

Much is at stake in these elections. Although President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not running, this is the first electoral test of her mandate.

She is serving the rest of term of her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, whom she deposed on the crest of mass protests last January.

Troubles ahead

The question now is how much popular support does Arroyo truly have? And how much support does Estrada retain?

The center of the battle is in the Senate -- the crucial race where candidates backed by Arroyo are facing off against candidates supported by Estrada.

Early unofficial "quick counts" show Arroyo's candidates leading in the Senate race.

But the lead is so slim, the stock index dropped nearly two percent Tuesday on perceptions Arroyo may not have a majority in the Senate needed to pass legislation.

Still, these quick counts may be misleading. After all, it depends on which part of the country you begin counting (certain areas are known as Arroyo strongholds or Estrada country).

An added problem: in the past, most of the electoral fraud happened during the counting. It's far easier to add a zero or drop a zero than to physically trade ballots or stuff ballot boxes.

Official results are expected around May 28. Still, if the final count reflect this early trend, election results may show more political battles -- and troubles -- ahead.

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