The Commission on Elections (COMELEC), in collaboration with partner social media platforms, will regulate accounts and political advertisements on such platforms to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates.
COMELEC Chairman George Garcia stated that the agency is permitted to regulate political advertisements on radio, television, newspapers, and other forms of media, in accordance with the Fair Elections Act or RA 9006.
The law aims to ensure that candidates from all walks of life will have equal access to relevant platforms.
“Walang kaduda-duda base po sa batas, ang 'other forms of media' ay pwedeng isama sa aming regulasyon. Kung dati-rati, hindi siguro ‘yun napapansin ng Commission, pero ngayon po ay napansin natin. Kinakailangang maisama ang regulasyon sa social media," Garcia said in an exclusive interview with DZRH for Damdaming Bayan on Tuesday.
“Sapagkat habang nagtatagal at ‘yung teknolohiya ang nag-i-improve, alam na ang pangangampanya ay mag-i-improve at magkakaroon po ng malaking porsyento 'yan sa social media," he added.
He stated that if left unregulated, equal opportunity for all cannot be guaranteed, which is why the commission has issued guidelines regarding social media regulation.
According to Garcia, various social media platforms, including TikTok, Google, and Meta, have committed to assisting in the regulation of candidate's accounts.
He further stated that if social media accounts are not registered with COMELEC and are not on their list, partner social media platforms will proactively take them down.
He noted that candidates should register their social media accounts by the December 13 deadline, as failing to do so could lead to suspicions of campaigning or political advertisements for their accounts.
According to Garcia, platforms cannot be prevented from removing accounts they detect, as these platforms are often foreign-based and cannot be easily controlled.
“Yun ‘yung kagandahan po nung voluntarily, pumunta sila sa atin kahapon, nag-commit sila at nakipag-ugnayan sila sa atin na sinabi nila basta susunod sila kung ano ang magiging instruction ng Commission on Elections," said Garcia.
Garcia pointed out that there are many candidates in the Philippines, totaling around 44,000. If the total number of accounts is included, not counting fake accounts, this could reach up to 440,000.
“Wala kaming resources, wala kaming tauhan upang mamonitor ang bawat galaw ng bawat isa sa social media pero ang kagandahan nito, katulad noong barangay elections, sila-sila nagsusumbungan mga magkakalaban," Garcia mentioned.
He also emphasized the need to avoid foreign intervention through social media platforms. With the help of this regulation, it is believed that such platforms cannot be used to influence the thoughts and opinions of voters.
