The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has recently released its guidelines for the conduct of election-related activities, including the rules and regulations on the use of social media for campaigning.
The campaign period for national positions will begin on February 8 and March 25 for local positions. Both will end on May 7.
“It is unlawful for any person or for any political party, or association of persons to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity on Maundy Thursday (April 14, 2022), Good Friday (April 15, 2022), the eve of election day (May 8, 2022) and on Election Day (May 9, 2022),” it read.
Under the guidelines, online campaigning includes text-only posts in social media, uploading pictures, audio, and video clips on the internet for campaign propaganda.
Websites, web addresses of all platforms, verified official accounts, blogs, and social media pages of a political party or the candidate must be registered with Comelec’s Education And Information Department within 30 days since the last day of candidacy filing.
Other unregistered websites, blogs, and social media pages that endorse any candidate even not directly administered by the campaign representative will be considered as an additional official account of the candidate and subject to all regulatory conditions.
Moreover, social media influencers used by candidates for ad content for their campaigns will be considered as individual contractors and will have to submit to reportorial requirements of the Comelec.
Electronic rallies or e-rallies will be allowed, or live streaming of political rallies to reach their online audience.
This is subject to the following guidelines:
– Inclusion of a disclosure that identifies it as a political meeting or rally, confirms compliance with minimum health protocols, and provides the relevant date, time, and location information.
“[A] live stream on the candidate’s social media platforms shall be considered a political meeting or rally,” the Comelec stated.
– E-rallies recording shall be submitted to the Education and Information Department of the COMELEC within 72 hours from the airing.
– Comelec said “candidates may receive in-platform gifts and game currency but shall not be allowed to give gifts to livestream audiences, nor to run promotions and campaigns that will award in-platform gifts or game currency to platform users and livestream audiences.”
The Comelec will also live stream the e-rally of national candidates on their social media channels, but it will be limited to three presidential and three vice presidential candidates every night with a length or running time of 10 minutes.
Five slots are likewise allocated each three-minute e-rallies for senatoriables and party-list candidates.
The full resolution may be viewed at https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=2022NLE/Resolutions/res10730.
Report from Karen Villanda/AG-rir
Watch the full report here:
