bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
  ... on Video {
    youtubeId
  }
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Raissa Robles

The midterm elections in the Philippines proceeded without major disruption in most areas on Monday, according to officials and observers, but the seizure of nearly half a billion pesos in undeclared cash from foreign nationals, along with isolated incidents of deadly violence and technical glitches, has raised concerns over the integrity of the vote.
One of the most startling developments occurred late on Friday, when six Chinese nationals, three foreigners and two Filipinos were intercepted at Cebu International Airport while attempting to board a private jet to Manila. Authorities discovered 441.9 million pesos (US$7.6 million) in local currency, along with US$168,730 and HK$1,000 (US$128) in undeclared cash – raising suspicions of illicit election-related activity.
Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, spokeswoman for the Philippine National Police (PNP), said investigators were pursuing multiple leads, including the possibility that the money was intended to influence the polls.
“Is this money part of a plan to influence or at least interfere in our elections?” she said at a Sunday briefing. “Maybe these foreign nationals might be a conduit to be used to interfere or at least influence our elections.”

Police officials said the foreign nationals – including a Malaysian, an Indonesian and a Kazakh citizen – had declared only three of seven hard-shell suitcases during check-in. X-ray scans and inspection revealed the undeclared currency.
The group claimed the money came from winnings at a casino and, hours later, submitted a certification from White Horse Junket, a gaming operator known for bringing in high rollers. But police questioned the timing and credibility of the documentation.
Police Brigadier General Christopher Abecia, Cebu airport’s head of security, said the suspects had offered him a bribe before producing the casino documents. “They asked me how much I wanted,” he said, adding that he rejected the offer and proceeded with the inspection.
White Horse Junket had earlier been ordered shut down by authorities after it was found to have facilitated the ransom payment in the kidnapping and murder of Chinese-Filipino businessman Anson Que. Que was abducted on March 29 and found dead 11 days later.
Fajardo said police would also examine whether the intercepted funds could have been “commingled” with ransom money related to that case. “This huge amount of money of questionable origin is no joke, particularly because the money came from a junket operator we had already ordered shut down,” she said.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed it was monitoring the case closely but had not yet established a direct link to Monday’s vote.
“We are waiting for the investigation report of our law enforcement agencies,” Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco told This Week in Asia on Monday. “If indeed this is connected to elections based on investigation and pieces of evidence gathered, Comelec can be expected to pursue actions to determine any possible violation of election laws, rules and regulations.”

Former justice secretary and senatorial candidate Leila de Lima called for a full congressional investigation into the cash haul.
“The discovery of almost half a billion in Philippine currency at the Mactan airport bound for Manila in a private jet should be thoroughly investigated, including through an inquiry by the incoming 20th Congress,” she said.
“The fact that the cash is in pesos and is being transported by mostly Chinese nationals on the eve of the elections indicates its intended use for vote-buying or election bribery.”
Stress test
While the airport case drew national headlines, other concerns also surfaced during Monday’s vote, including scattered violence, vote-buying and technical glitches with the automated polling system.
Elections were generally “smooth and peaceful so far”, according to the initial observations of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) before polls closed.
Fajardo echoed that assessment on Monday afternoon, saying: “We have not encountered any major incidents except that some machines malfunctioned but were replaced.”
Comelec later confirmed that at least 200 automated counting machines had to be pulled out after they repeatedly rejected ballots.
“They did not stop from working but they rejected ballots twice. We decided to pull out the machines,” said Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia.
This year’s vote marked the first time the Philippines deployed electronic counting machines from South Korea’s Miru Systems. Officials said contingency measures allowed for the swift replacement of faulty units and helped prevent widespread disruption.
Two election watchdog groups, Namfrel and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, said they received a number of complaints from voters that the “voter’s receipt”, which the machine issues after each ballot is fed into and scanned by the machine, did not match their votes.
But Comelec chair Garcia said “the possibility is high that they simply forgot who they voted for”.
Reports of unrest and violence in parts of the country underscored some of the other stark challenges facing Philippine democracy. At least 11 people were shot dead on election day, mostly in the country’s restive southern region, with police and media reports indicating the violence stemmed from clashes between rival political groups.


More than 69 million Filipinos were registered to vote in this year’s polls, with nearly 70 per cent of them aged between 28 and 44, according to the poll body. About 6.9 million Generation Z voters registered for the first time in 2025, joining the 13.1 million who signed up in 2022.
Despite the unresolved investigations and scattered violence, national police chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said the vote remained broadly on track.
“We are not seeing that [a failed election],” Marbil said. “As of now, it is ongoing and you will see that the enforcement of the armed forces, coastguard and, of course, the PNP, with the help of the Comelec is very strong.”
He said police commanders had been instructed to remain on high alert during the vote-counting and canvassing phase.
Earlier, Comelec announced that police could conduct “warrantless arrests” while investigating incidents of vote-buying and selling.
Comelec has indicated that unofficial results for local races could be available within hours of polls closing, while official national results, including the Senate race, are expected within five days.
At stake are nearly 18,000 positions, including 12 Senate seats, the entire House of Representatives, and thousands of local posts. The outcome is expected to influence the political landscape leading up to the 2028 presidential election, particularly amid the ongoing rivalry between President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vice-President Sara Duterte.
The Senate race is especially critical, as it will determine the composition of the chamber that could decide the fate of Vice-President Duterte, who faces an impending impeachment trial.


Philippine midterm elections: casino-linked cash seizure and poll-day disruptions raise alarms

Filipinos feed their ballots into a vote-counting machine at a school used as a voting centre in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (centre right) and his mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos (centre left) prepare to cast their votes at a polling station in Batac City, Ilocos Norte province, on Monday. Photo: AP

Voters in indigenous attire prepare to cast their ballots at a polling station in Baguio City, Benguet province, north of Manila on Monday. Photo: AP

This Week in Asia

Politics

Foreigners caught with billions in undeclared pesos, broken voting machines and scattered violence all cast a shadow over the vote


Foreigners caught with billions in undeclared pesos, broken voting machines and scattered violence all cast a shadow over the vote.


The Philippines

Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Asia elections

Casinos

Philippine midterm elections: casino-linked cash seizure and poll-day disruptions raise alarms

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Foreigners caught with billions in undeclared pesos, broken voting machines and scattered violence all cast a shadow over the vote

Foreigners caught with billions in undeclared pesos, broken voting machines and scattered violence all cast a shadow over the vote