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dagdag-bawas

dágdag-bawas with stress marks

tampering with election results

noun DAG-dag BA-was Phrase origin Less Common

Usage Note

Dagdag-bawas (literally 'adding and subtracting') is a politically charged term describing ballot manipulation in Philippine elections — inflating vote counts for favored candidates while reducing those of opponents. It became a prominent issue in election fraud cases from the 1990s onward and remains part of the national political vocabulary.

Examples

Beginner

" May dagdag-bawas sa eleksyon. "

Natural Translation

There was vote tampering in the election.

Literal Translation

There-is adding-and-subtracting in election.

Intermediate

" Napatunayang may dagdag-bawas sa ilang presinto. "

Natural Translation

It was proven that there was vote tampering in some precincts.

Literal Translation

Proven-that there-is adding-and-subtracting in some precincts.

Advanced

" Nagprotesta ang mga botante nang lumabas na may dagdag-bawas na nagbago sa resulta ng pagbilang ng boto. "

Natural Translation

The voters protested when it came out that vote tampering had changed the results of the ballot count.

Literal Translation

Protested the voters when came-out that there-is adding-and-subtracting that changed the result of-the counting of vote.

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