PRIVATE individuals promoting the candidacy of candidates who will be running in the 2025 national and local elections are no longer required to register their social media accounts, webpages and other internet-based platforms with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The new guideline is contained in Resolution No. 11064-A, which the poll body promulgated on November 13 but made public only yesterday.
The resolution has taken out all provisions that initially made it mandatory even for private individuals to register their social media accounts, webpages, vlogs, and other similar platforms that shall be used to promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate or candidates.
Under Resolution No. 11064-A, only candidates and political parties are now required to register their official social media accounts and pages, websites, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, and other online and internet-based campaign platforms with the Comelec.
The original resolution, Comelec Resolution No. 11064, mandated “candidates, political parties, and any person or entity” to register with the Comelec the social media accounts and pages, websites, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, and other online and internet-based campaign platforms “that will be used during the election period to solicit votes and promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate or candidates.”
In amending the original guidelines, the Commission cited the need to protect the constitutional right of private individuals to freedom of expression.
“Whereas, after conducting consultations and meetings with concerned stakeholders, the issue of safeguarding the freedom of expression of private individuals was duly raised and deliberated upon,” said the Comelec.
It added that “the freedom of expression is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution, serving as a cornerstone of a democratic society by ensuring open dialogue, the free exchange of ideas, and the protection of individual opinions, allowing Filipinos to speak freely on various issues, including politics, governance, social issues, and the elections.”
The amended resolution also states that “only the candidates and their authorized representatives, as well as authorized representatives of registered political parties/coalitions, and party-list organizations” will submit their registration forms for their official social media accounts and pages, websites, podcasts, blogs/vlogs, and other online and internet-based campaign platforms.
It also provides that only the “candidate or the authorized official of the political party or coalition, and party-list organizations and their official digital or social media campaign manager” are required to submit a notarized affidavit of undertaking stating that it shall not misuse social media, artificial intelligence, and internet technology for disinformation or misinformation.
Lastly, the Comelec’s new resolution states that only “concerned candidate, political party/coalition, party-list organization, and their respective social media campaign managers” shall be required to explain why a complaint, if deemed necessary, for violation of the guidelines should not be filed against them.
