About Us

LENTE’s Vision

Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) is a nationwide non-partisan election watchdog
composed of volunteers from the legal community: lawyers, law students and paralegals. LENTE
volunteers are trained to engage in monitoring the legal aspects of the elections, pursuant to a firm
commitment to the principle that an effective democracy begins with elections that reflect the genuine
will of the people.

The heart of the Constitution is social justice, and social justice is the diffusion of wealth and
political power for the common good. Elections diffuse political power. It is the fundamental building
block of any democracy, which is why its proper conduct should be guarded.

LENTE envisions a genuine and participatory Philippine democracy with informed, empowered
and engaged citizenry. LENTE is a steadfast guardian of a credible and accessible electoral system.

Institutional Members

On March 23, 2007, LENTE was launched at the national office of the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP) with a signing of a Memorandum of Agreement among the members of the network.
The institutional members of LENTE include the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID),
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Movement for Free Elections
(NAMFREL), One Voice, Libertás, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Caucus of Development NGO
Networks (CODE-NGO) Bantay Canvass and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-National
Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP-NASSA). The Workers’ Electoral Watch (We-Watch) and the
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) joined LENTE on February 16, 2010.

LENTE in the May 2007 Elections

Six thousand (6,000) LENTE volunteers were deployed in the May 2007 elections in partnership
with its institutional members. They provided legal services and monitored the canvassing of tallied
votes in the city, municipality, and provincial levels all over the country.

LENTE was also actively involved in the intensive efforts to closely monitor hotly-contested
elections in areas such as Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

LENTE in the August 2008 Elections

On August 9, 2008, two days before the scheduled elections in the Autonomous Region of
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) issued a resolution accrediting
LENTE as a citizens’ arm. LENTE was able to deploy one hundred and thirty-one (131) volunteers in six
provinces, namely, Maguindanao, Marawi, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.
LENTE News
February 6, 2010. – LENTE starts voter’s education and training of Mangyan voters, the
indigenous community in the island of Mindoro. Notable in the Mangyans’ election experience are
instances when they are gathered and detained (hakot) until election day to ensure their votes for a
particular candidate, and the undue advantage of the literate writers assigned to them on election
day who would, at times, enter a vote different from the Mangyan’s actual choice.

February 12, 2010. – “People don’t cheat when there's someone watching ", says
recount czar Atty. John Hardin Young, who visited the LENTE headquarters in Makati to share his
experience in the controversial recount that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Bush v. Gore
ruling. Atty. Young told LENTE volunteers to watch out for deactivated voters and ballot recounts as
the Philippines gradually transitions to an automated election system.

February 13, 2010. – DZRH 666 Teleradyo show Batas Barangay teams up with LENTE
every Saturday night at 6.30 to tackle voters’ empowerment in terms of evidence gathering,
documentation and affidavit-drafting in order to hold electoral offenders accountable. The program
also tackles various voters’ concerns.

LENTE Case Docket

May 21, 2007. – LENTE was instrumental in initiating due process and protecting a witness
who testified that poll watchers in Maguindanao were forced to fill up blank ballots for particular
candidates. Instead of giving credence to the witness’ bold statement, the then COMELEC Chairman
required that other evidence of fraud be shown. A poll supervisor who was caught after charges
were filed against him for allowing the certificates of canvass (CoCs), or vote tallies, in his custody
to be stolen, walked scot free and has since gone into hiding.

September 2009. – LENTE drafted a petition to exclude the former residents of the
Philippine National Railways. The case was duly assigned to an institutional member for filing and
prosecution.

February 2010. – LENTE is all set to monitor possible disenfranchisement of voters,

possible cases of massive fraud and prosecution of those accountable for electoral offenses. LENTE
is training voters on the ways of documenting evidence, executing affidavits and coordination with
lawyers, all of which are vital in setting the due process machinery in motion.

What We Offer
Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) conducts three kinds of election seminar
workshops on 1) voters’ education and basics of automated elections in comparison with manual
elections; 2) poll-watching and basic election laws and processes; and 3) accountability for election
offenses, elements of each offense, evidence-gathering and affidavit-drafting.
LENTE Institutional Members for
the May 2010 Elections
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines –
National Secretariat for Social Action

Integrated Bar of the Philippines

Libertas

National Movement for Free Elections

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

One Voice

Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID)

Puwersa para sa Ganap na Demokrasya, Labang

Wagas para sa Inang Bayan (PUGADLAWIN)

Upholding Life and Nature (ULAN)

Workers Electoral Watch (WE-WATCH)

LENTE Chapters (As of April 26, 2010)

Andres Bonifacio College

Aquinas University of Legaspi
Ateneo de Davao University
Ateneo de Manila University
Bukidnon State University
Cagayan Colleges of Tuguegarao
College of Maasin
CorJesu
Don Vicente Orestes Romualdez Educational Foundation
Eastern Samar State University
ESSU-Samar
Marawi State University
Marawi State University- General Santos City
Medina Colleges
Mindanao State University-Iligan
NorthEastern College
Notre Dame College of Jolo
Notre Dame University
Notre Dame University-Cotabato
Pagadian Capitol College
Philippine Advent College
San Beda School of Law
San Pablo Colleges
Sultan Kudarat University Foundation
University of Cebu
University of Cordilleras
University of Eastern Philippines
University of Mindanao
University Of Northern Philippines
University of Nueva Caceres
University of Sto.Tomas
University of the Philippines
Urios State University
Western Mindanao State University
Xavier University
Xavier University- Cagayan de Oro City