Comelec chief to pols: Your tweets are monitored

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. warned politicians that Twitter and Facebook posts can also be considered as a form of election propaganda under the new Fair Election Act.

Brillantes, who had been tweeting about new election rules since early Wednesday, said that paid social media and blog posts as well as online campaigns must be reported to the agency.

“Such online election propaganda become subject of monitoring, particularly its consequence on election spending,” Brillantes said.

The election official clarified, however, that Internet posts and content expressing personal opinion are generally not acts of election campaigning or partisan political activity.

“In other words, the crucial test is whether the use of Internet or social media incurs an expense on the part of the candidate,” Brillantes said.

He referred to the new act or Comelec Resolution 9165 revising campaign rules, which, when violated may even dismiss a candidate from the May 13 polls.

“We'll see less political ads this year,” Brillantes added, as the total broadcast airtime of advertisements of national candidates had been limited to 120 minutes on television and 180 minutes on radio under the new resolution.

Local candidates, meanwhile, can only sponsor up to 60 minutes of television and 90 minutes of radio advertisements, he added.

The new rules and regulations on campaign propaganda will take effect upon the start of the official campaign period on March 30.