Scenarios Of Doom If Polls Fail

[Mr Lee]

Will the elections fail and if so, how will it affect the foreigners living in the country? This could very well be a dangerous time for the whole country and a good time to keep a very low profile for expats. On Wednesday last week, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed Mindanao under red alert, warning that the region, home to about a fourth of the country’s 50 million voters, faced a critical power shortage that could disrupt the conduct of automated elections on the island.The warning triggered a call from a member of the House of Representatives to grant President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo emergency powers to ward off an energy crisis on Election Day.The proposed solution could allow Ms Arroyo to cling to power if the May general elections failed to elect a new set of national leaders.The May elections are fraught with more peril to the orderly transfer of power than any election since Edsa I.The whole story here

[TheMason]

I don't think the outcome of the election matters. If there is a successful election, none of the likely winners are bad for foreigners. If there is a failed election and GMA stays in power, we'll have pretty much the status quo. There is the possibility of civil unrest if that happens, but I don't think it will happen. The Filipinos I know are all too apathetic about politics to bother taking to the streets to protest anything that happens.There is the chance to get caught up in random election-related violence, but I don't see a scenario where foreigners will be singled out for attention.

[Jake]

I once saw a protest sign just outside the US Embassy saying YANKEES GO HOME! A bigger one alsosaying YANKEES GO HOME, but please take me with you!Jake