The campus press should help other media outlets fact-check information during the 2025 midterm elections, said Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia in a forum with journalists and student publications at Pasig City on June 6.
Garcia noted that partnerships and a “greater interaction” between the commission and the studentry would benefit the former in disseminating information for the upcoming local and national elections.
This, he said, is behind the series of misinformation and disinformation being proliferated during election periods.
“Ang dami pong misinformation, disinformation dito sa atin sa kasalukuyan. Nagsasalita ‘yung tao, buka ng bibig niya, pati ‘yung mukha niya, siya; pati boses, siya—’yun pala, hindi. Kaya talaga mayroon dapat tayong fact-checking at makatutulong po diyan ang mga student journalist,” said Garcia.
FORUM. Comelec Chairman George Garcia during an open forum with Rappler community head Pia Ranada and managing editor Miriam Grace Go at Pasig City, June 05, 2024. Jobert Yodico/PUP The Communicator
The poll chief also advised campus journos to report election coverages in a “nontechnical” manner easily understood by ordinary Filipino voters.
“Sa ating mga student journalist, sana mapaliwanag natin ‘yung mga ganitong bagay nang ‘wag tayong technical. Alam niyo, kung magpapaka-technical po ba tayo, sinong makakaunawa sa’tin na mga kababayan natin?,” Garcia added.
“Dapat po ‘yung language, nauunuwaan nila para makapag-communicate sila sa inyo nang maayos. Dapat po maipaliwanag natin na ‘ganito po ito, ‘wag po kayong matakot.’ ‘Yung madami nating kababayan, ‘yung nagtatrabaho, mga manggagawa, mga hindi naman nararating ng ating modern technology, dapat maipaliwanag natin,” he pointed out to campus journalists.
The Comelec has started its nationwide visit to schools and universities for an information campaign for the midterm elections. By the end of 2024, the poll body will also be implementing a comprehensive two-month education and information drive.
Artificial Intelligence
On June 6, Garcia himself raised his position to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and “deepfakes” in the midterm elections. This, he stood pat, is due to these technologies exacerbating the problems of disinformation and “fake news” in the country.
PJRC 2024. Prof. Danilo Arao in an open forum during the Philippine Journalism Research Conference 2024 at UP Film Institute, Quezon City. June 07, 2024. Screengrab from UP Journalism Dept Facebook Live
During the Philippine Journalism Research Conference 2024 on June 7, University of the Philippines (UP) journalism professor Rachel Khan underscored that through the emergence of AI, disinformation can spread faster in the 2025 elections and a new danger persists due to the existence of “deepfakes.”
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) special lecturer and Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao, however, slammed Comelec’s proposed ban on AI during elections as disinformation perpetrators, he believed, should be “more targeted” than the said technology.
Arao sought the poll body’s strengthened efforts for voter education and media literacy instead of implementing “tendentious policies” that could possibly lead to censorship.
“Where is the sense and where is the wisdom in banning a tool that can be either useful or can be weaponized? [...] ‘Yung disinformation, hindi naman ‘yan perpetrated ng isang teknolohiya, it’s a tool pero ang mas tinatarget dapat natin dito, ‘yung mga network ng systematic disinformation,” said Arao.
Youth Involvement
Garcia also urged the youth voters at the forum to vote early and select the best candidates for the 2025 elections.
“24 million ang ating SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) at naniniwala ako, ang boboto do’n sa regular na eleksyon, mga 14 million. 14 million na mga kabataan ang kailangan natin enganyuhin,” said Garcia.
“Bumoto naman kayo nang maaga at bumoto nang tama. Naniniwala kasi sa kung anong nakalagay sa social media, kung anong nakikita sa telenovela, mga teleserye dahil sikat. Dapat, ang ating pagboto, nakabase sa sino ba siya,” he persuaded the youth.
During a swearing-in rite in Malacañang for the newly elected officers of Sangguniang Kabataan on June 5, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged the youth to get involved in governance and political discourse.
The chief executive said that the youth's “new blood” in the age of technological advancements is important to Philippine society, noting the country's need for their intuitive and instinctive knowledge.
“The future is going to be technology-driven, and that is why the instinct of younger people when it comes to technology is important. It has to be part of all our thinking. It has to be part of all our planning,” said Marcos.
So far, over half a million young and new voters have registered for the midterm elections on May 12, 2025. The Comelec reported around 640,000 registration applications since February 12.
Modernized Elections
For the 2025 midterm elections, the Comelec will no longer use a transparency server. Instead, the results will be simultaneously sent to data centers, including directly to the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and the media servers.
An Internet voting system will also be implemented abroad, excluding 17 international governments so far that prohibit the use of their Internet services.
Garcia assured that hacking the new voting machines will be “impossible” because the poll scanner operates wirelessly.
Eight copies of the election returns will be produced at the end of the polling, including one to be posted outside of the voting precinct.
Instead of having one repair hub in Laguna, the poll body will have a repair hub for each of the 82 provinces for the midterm elections. Additionally, mall voting will also be implemented nationwide.
Article: Chris Burnet Ramos
Layout: Lourence Angelo Marcellana
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