Comelec eyes presumption of paid endorsement of influencers
George Garcia FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing to presume that influencers and celebrities who endorse a certain candidate or political party are already paid to ensure proper registration of contribution and expenditures for the 2025 polls, according to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Tuesday.
Garcia said that the Comelec en banc, in its special session, has given the committee on “Kontra Bigay” a go signal to spearhead this initiative, emphasizing that every candidate should be given an “equal opportunity” since not every candidate can avail the reach and services of an influencer.
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“Binigyan natin ng authority ang ating committee sa Kontra Bigay upang ipush na yung kanilang suggestion na yung mga influencer, talent, o artists na mag eendorse ng kandidato kung paano namin sila pwede na ipresume na nabayaran ng mga kandidato o political parties kasi paulit ulit na lang na sinasabi na kada lumalabas sila sa telebisyon, radyo o social media na walang binabayad sa kanila ang politiko at donation ito dahil kaibigan o kamag anak,” Garcia said in an ambush interview.
(We have given our “Kontra Bigay” committee the authority to push their suggestion to presume that an influencer, talent, or artists endorsing a candidate are already paid for because they repeatedly say that the candidates or political parties are not paying them since it is only a donation.)
Garcia said that the poll body is not prohibiting any influencer from endorsing a candidate or a political party, even if it is not yet the start of the campaign period. However, he said that the contract of the two parties must be submitted to them.
“Bagamat di sila pinagbabawalan, ang sa atin lang, edi fair. Kung makakapag avail ng influencers eh di magbayad ng tamang buwis o ireport sa Comelec kung magkano ang ginastos,” Garcia added.
(While we are not prohibiting them, what we are saying is to be fair. If you avail the services of influencers, pay the right taxes and report expenditures to the Comelec.)
Further, Garcia stated that if an influencer or a celebrity endorsed a political name as a donation, it must still be registered in the statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) as a form of contribution to the campaign of a candidate or a political party.
The Comelec chief also noted that every candidate and political parties must disclose in their SOCEs which will then be published in its website.
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Garcia also reiterated a policy from social media platform Tiktok where it bans political advertisement and monetization of contents from politicians, government, and political parties.
