COMELEC releases guidelines on fair campaigning, discrimination

February 19, 2025 , 09:11 PM

By Clarist Mae Zablan

(February 19, 2025) – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Wednesday released fair campaigning and anti-discrimination guidelines during the conduct of 2025 national, local, and Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, stressing the need for fair elections.

Under Resolution No. 11116, the poll body included as election offenses acts of coercion, as well as bullying on the basis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, discrimination against women and persons with disability (PWDs), and violation of rights to religious and cultural sites and ceremonies.

The guidelines also included as an election offense the act of “labeling,” or the branding of candidates as “subversive or terrorist group or belonging to a criminal group/syndicate” without evidence.

Naglabas ng guidelines ang Commission on Elections #COMELEC laban sa iba't ibang uri ng diskirminasyon kasabay ng election period para sa 2025 midterm elections at BARMM parliamentary elections. #BilangPilipino2025 #News5 | via Mon Gualvez pic.twitter.com/DVxgUfJ1Rf
— News5 (@News5PH) February 19, 2025

The resolution covers acts committed in election-related activities during the election period from Jan. 12 to June 11.

The poll body stressed that it is “duty-bound to ensure a free, peaceful, and fair electoral environment where voters, candidates, and campaign participants can engage in political activities without fear of harassment, retaliation, or intimidation.”

“[T]here is a need to safeguard the sanctity of the election process and protect the expression of the true will of the electorate from any form of discrimination, intimidation or harassment,” the guidelines stated.

The guidelines did not explicitly mention “red-tagging,” but it cited a 2023 Supreme Court (SC) ruling that declared the practice as a threat to life and liberty.

The poll body also cited the Fair Elections Act, Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, Magna Carta of Women, Safe Spaces Act, Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act, local government ordinances against discrimination, and another SC ruling on intimidation and coercion during elections.

“[T]he COMELEC recognizes that the essence of democracy is exercising the right of suffrage free from any fear of violence, injury, harassment, and intimidation and that genuine democracy thrives only when the freedoms of speech and expression, including gender inclusivity and responsiveness, are protected,” the guidelines stated.

(With reports from Mon Gualvez, News5)
(CD)

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