The Commission on Elections (Comelec) asked the international observers for the upcoming May 2022 elections to uphold the integrity of the elections through compliance with the poll body's guidelines.

On Wednesday, May 4, Comelec welcomed the international observers for a short briefing on observing and monitoring the elections on Monday, May 9. Pursuant to its mandate, Comelec has invited and accredited independent international monitors to observe the conduct of the election in the interest of honesty and transparency.
According to Resolution No. 10740, promulgated on Dec. 9, 2021, election observation and monitoring plays an important role in providing accurate and impartial assessments about the conduct of the elections and has the potential to enhance the integrity of the electoral process.
"I thank our monitors for their contribution to the democratic exercise of electing the next officials of the Republic of the Philippines," Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan said in his speech.
"You shall have unimpeded access to the electoral process subject only to such conditions necessary for the protection of our COMELEC personnel and property, as well as the protection of privileged information," he added.
Some of the privileges provided to observers include:
- Unimpeded access to all stages of the electoral process
- Unimpeded access to all persons concerned with electoral processes – ex. COMELEC officials, government officials, political parties
Pangarungan said that they are confident that the said monitors will maintain their impartiality and objectivity throughout the electoral process.
During the program, the observers were briefed on basic voter information such as voting time and venues and some of the processes conducted at the beginning and the end of the election day.
However, observers will be subject to revocation of accreditation should they do the following:
- Any violation of the Code of Conduct
- Performing any of the prohibited acts
- Any disruptive behavior by anyone in the group
- Misconduct – ex. Breaching or attempting to breach the secrecy of the ballot, obstructing the electoral process, asking voters who they voted for while at the polling station
The Comelec also reminded that any violation of the guidelines shall be punishable as an election offense. For international observers, they will be deported after the prison term has been served.
Accredited observers shall make a report to the Commission en banc of their observations, in a conference called for this purpose, and/or a written report submitted to the Office of the Chairman and the COMELEC Education and Information Department on or before 8 June 2022.