Problems with procurement, logistics, supply chain management, tight implementation schedules, and bad -- really bad -- project management. A series of unfortunate events turned the May 2019 elections into a messy affair.

Across the Philippines' 81 provinces, from 30 to over 50 percent of voters failed to vote for party-list groups in May 2019. Many voters missed the names of party-list groups printed on the back of the ballot. The undervoting rate for party-list groups was 37.37 percent in the last elections, nearly double the 20.08 percent in 2016.

Avoidable delays in the procurement of goods and services; the election calendar revised four times; wasteful spending on machines that conked out or were not used; massive undervoting for party-list groups. The May 2019 elections: A messy affair, not fault-free at all.