By Wilnard Bacelonia | Philippine News Agency
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) raised alarm over what it described as a “massive and coordinated” disinformation campaign aimed at undermining public trust in the electoral process ahead of the midterm polls.
Speaking to reporters at the Senate on Monday, May 5, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said disinformation —not just traditional vote-buying— has emerged as one of the most serious threats to election integrity.
“Matagal na naming sinasabi na ang threat ngayon sa eleksyon hindi lang vote-buying kundi misinformation, disinformation,” he said.
Garcia said that despite persistent online narratives alleging fraud and system breaches, the Comelec’s infrastructure remains uncompromised.
“As far as the Comelec is concerned, wala pong na-compromise na kahit anong sistema namin sa kahit anong election data,” he said, adding that the commission’s sensitive data is not housed in its main office.
Garcia revealed that the Comelec’s systems have been targeted by hacking attempts in recent years, particularly the precinct finder tool used during the 2022 elections.
“No’ng nakaraang election ng 2022, 35 million attempts ang tinanggap niyan para ma-hack, hindi po naging successful,” he said.
As of this year, the system has already received nearly 3 million hacking attempts, none of which have succeeded.
He warned that in the past month, Comelec has observed what appears to be a deliberate mind-conditioning effort online. Garcia cited the rapid virality of false claims on social media.
“Kapag may nakita tayo na isang lumabas sa social media halimbawa na nagsasabing dadayain ng halalan… in just a matter of 30 minutes, 700,000 kaagad ang views and 32,000 kaagad ang comments. Mukha namang napakaimposible na ganon kadami agad ang views… pare-pareho po sila ng wordings, paulit-ulit,” he said.
Comelec wages war vs. false information
Garcia said the agency had to immediately refute a widely circulated false claim last week that voters needed a national ID to cast their ballots.
On Monday morning, he said another fake post spread online claiming that elections were moved to May 10 due to extreme heat.
“Kinakailangan pa rin kaming maglabas syempre ng pagtanggi. Kinakailangang magkomento kami at sabihing hindi po totoo yan,” Garcia said, stressing the need for public vigilance against coordinated misinformation campaigns.
“Asahan niyo po na sa mga susunod na araw mina-mind condition po tayo… ginagamit na sa amin ang troll farms at ginagamit din sa amin yung naka-autobot na mga information,” he added, voicing appreciation for the Senate’s ongoing investigation into digital interference.
Despite these threats, Garcia assured the public that the country’s vote-counting machines remain secure and tamper-proof.
“Ginagarantiya po natin sa sambayanang Pilipino, huwag po silang mag-alala. Ang atin pong mga makina… ay stand-alone machines. Hindi po siya nakakabit sa kahit na ano,” he assured.
Garcia attended the resumption of the inquiry of the Senate Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones on the April 29 arrest of an alleged Chinese spy near the Comelec’s main office at the Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros, Manila. (PNA)
