To address the challenges posed by rampant disinformation in the social media — as well as the health risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic — the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued Resolution 10730 last Nov. 17, 2021 to ensure the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful elections. This flows from its mandate to serve as the primary enforcer of Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Election Practices Act of 2009.

As the campaign season for nationally elected positions opened yesterday, it is important that the citizenry is made aware of these rules so that they, too, could exercise vigilance in ensuring the enforcement of these rules.

Reflecting emerging public sentiments against unwarranted privacy intrusion in digital space, the poll body specifically prohibits “micro targeting” in political advertising, except only in terms of “geographical location, except radius around a specific location; age; and gender”, while stating that “contextual targeting” may also be combined in connection with these allowed exceptions. The Comelec spokesperson stated that the poll body will “work in cooperation with social media platforms in enforcing this new regulation.

Micro targeting was defined in the Comelec rules as “a form of targeting online advertisements that uses recent technological developments to analyze a person’s online usage, to preferentially serve advertisements and other information that specifically reflect that individual user’s preferences and personality.” Online campaign ads should always be truthful and not misleading. While requiring internet and social media companies in the Philippines to report the specific details of the paid political advertisements placed on them, the Comelec also warned against “casting doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.” Another salient requirement in the Comelec’s latest rules is the registration with the poll body of the “website name and web address of all platform-verified official accounts, websites, blogs, and/or other social media pages” of every registered political party or coalition and candidate within 30 days from the last day of the filing of the certificate of candidacy. This was not required during the 2019 elections.

An innovation in election activities prompted by the pandemic situation is the conduct by the Comelec on its official channel via live streaming of “e-rallies” of national candidates, including party list groups. Slots for such rallies were raffled off last Jan. 8 and scheduled for live streaming on Feb. 8.

Schedules for three nationally televised live debates among presidential candidates were also included in the latest Comelec rules. These will be held within the first and second week, within the fifth and sixth week, and within the tenth and eleventh week of the campaign period.

Minimum discount rates for media advertising have also been increased from 30 percent to 50 percent for television ads; and from 20 percent to 40 percent for print ads.

Finally, the Comelec emphasizes the critical importance of adherence to health and safety protocols prescribed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Management of Emergent Infectious Diseases, as the nation faces what could be the most challenging scenario in its recent history: conducting national and local elections amid a national health emergency and a global pandemic.