The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will monitor the campaign expenses of candidates, who will utilize social media platforms during the campaign period for the 2025 national and local elections, according to poll chief George Garcia.
Garcia made the remarks on Thursday after reiterating his call to members of the 19th Congress to craft a law allowing the poll body to regulate a candidate’s social media posts during campaign periods.
In an interview at the sidelines of a forum on the role of AI in the May 2025 polls at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, the poll chief said they should know how much the candidates’ expenses are and if they are breaching the allowable expenses.
“What about the paid social media influencers? How do candidates incur expenses on social media?” said Garcia, citing Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Election Act for the regulation.
Garcia expressed apprehension over fake news, misinformation, and disinformation, saying “the problem right now is, when our countrymen see a post, it is automatically news for them.”
Garcia said the Comelec could only coordinate with social media administrators to remove a post, which could take months.
“We can monitor their expenses. Once you run for public office, it’s a privilege, not a right. Therefore, there should be limits to campaign posts,” he said.
He said it cannot discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes without talking about social media. However, he said Comelec can regulate spending on radio, TV, and newspapers, but it remains unclear about social media.
There are currently no laws prohibiting the use of deepfakes. However, Garcia said the Comelec will issue a guideline for the use of AI in the 2025 midterm elections next month.
The guidelines would be based on the results of the discussions during the stakeholders’ forum and consultation dialogue, he added.
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