THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said candidates and political parties can hold online political meetings, rallies, and similar activities for unlimited time and frequency, adding that live streaming on social media platforms is considered a form of e-rally.
This was among the guidelines issued by the Comelec on how candidates can conduct stumping activities online for next year’s elections.
“Such online political meetings, rallies, and similar activities are not covered by the limitations on broadcast advertising,” the Comelec said, adding that during online activities, candidates may receive in-platform gifts and game currency.
But they are not allowed to give gifts to livestream audiences, as well as run promotions and campaigns that will award in-platform gifts or game currency to platform users and livestream audiences.
In a resolution, the poll body said that all e-rallies and livestreams must include a disclosure that identifies them as a political meeting or rally, confirms compliance with minimum health protocols, and provide the relevant date, time, and location information.
The Comelec also said that recordings of e-rallies must be submitted to the Comelec-Education and Information Department within 72 hours from its airing.
Aside from those produced by the candidates and political parties, the Comelec is also set to provide a platform for free livestreaming of e-rallies of national candidates.
“Live streaming of e-rallies shall be conducted every night, beginning February 8, 2022, on the official social media channels of the Comelec,” it said.
The Commission said there will be three presidential and three vice presidential 10-minute slots, 5 senatorial 3-minute slots; and 10 party-list 3-minute slots per night.
The slots shall be assigned at random, based on the results of televised raffle of slots that will be held on January 8, 2022.
During each livestream, the Comelec said the candidate will be allowed to see live comments to his livestream and “the candidate may or may not respond to live comments.”
On online propaganda materials, the Comelec is requiring registered political party/coalitions and candidates to register with the Comelec the website name and web address of all their verified official accounts, websites, blogs and/or other social media platforms because only verified accounts, websites, blogs, and/or social media pages may run electoral ads, and boost or promote electoral posts.
Other websites, blogs, or social media pages not registered with the Comelec, but, when taken as a whole has for its primary purpose the endorsement of a candidate, shall be considered additional official websites, blogs or social media pages of the said candidate.
Official online platforms of candidates are warned against propagating fake news.
“Information contained in online campaign propaganda shall be truthful and not misleading, nor shall it tend to unjustifiably cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process,” said the Comelec.
The poll body said all electoral posts online must show a disclosure that identifies it as a paid electoral advertisement and disclose who paid for it.
The resolution also said there will be at least three national debates among presidential candidates and at least one national debate among vice-presidential candidates.
The 1st presidential debate will be set within the first and second weeks of the campaign period, the second debate will be within the fifth and sixth weeks of the campaign period, while the third debate will be within the 10th and 11th weeks of the campaign period.
