MANILA, Philippines — While the campaign period started on February 11 for senatorial and party-list candidates, those running for local positions are not yet allowed to campaign before March 28.
In many communities, however, citizens have reported the presence of political announcements of local candidates in public spaces. They include not just banners and billboards, but apparent vote solicitation in the guise of programs and government services.
In a chat forum on voter-hotline channel on the Rappler Communities app on Friday, February 7, voters’ groups and election watchdogs discussed the impact of such acts among local candidates ahead of the March 28 campaign period, and what citizens can do about it.
Premature campaigning refers to “any activity or act by a political candidate aimed at promoting his or her candidacy prior to the official campaign period as prescribed by law.” It is considered an election offense, which may result in disqualification, according to Section 80 of the election code.
Based on a Supreme Court ruling in 2009, however, an aspirant is only deemed a candidate once the campaign period begins, so any promotional activities he or she engages in is not considered premature campaigning, and therefore not taken as an offense. Rappler’s managing editor Miriam Grace Go mentioned that, based on the Supreme Court’s ruling, an advertisement will only be considered a campaign material if it explicitly says “Vote for.”
Clik here to view.
Election watchdogs say that reality is that ads don’t have to say “vote for” for them to serve campaign purposes.
Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao said campaigning goes beyond text in banners, and that other forms — such as programs and services — may be as effective in terms of political messaging.
Clik here to view.
Premature campaigning through government aid, media
Over the years, candidates and politicians have used government resources to boost their chances of winning. Aid-giving or ayuda works best as a campaign strategy when it is made in partnership with local government units and public agencies.
According to Arao, aid-giving can easily be considered as campaigning, especially when goods and services are credited to officials who also happen to be candidates. So while the person, as a candidate, has not officially launched campaign to solicit votes, he as incumbent official use his government office and its services to help promote his name. It may also be a subtle way of vote buying because it aims to provide the needs of ordinary citizens in return for votes.
Clik here to view.
Arao cited as example the case of Alagang Marikina, where sacks of rice are given away by the local government, a program of the Teodoros. Marikina 1st District Representative Marjorie Ann “Maan” Teodoro is seeking to replace her husband, Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro in the 2025 local race.
Clik here to view.
Rochelle Poras of Workers Electoral Watch cited Senator Bong Go’s Malasakit Centers, which he, as special assistant to president Rodrigo Duterte, used when he was running for senator in 2019.
Clik here to view.
Go’s involvement with Malasakit Centers reaped criticisms of premature campaigning as it became an avenue for him to attach his posters to the sites ahead of the campaign period. More centers were launched leading up to the 2019 elections, and he was a constant presence in these events.
Arao and Poras also pointed out that some candidates have made their political presence felt through media outlets, such as the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s extensive coverage of the programs of the Villar family, and other advertisements in billboards and radio stations. Camille Villar is the fourth member of the dynasty running for senator.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
A loophole for political dynasties
Poras and lawyer Ona Caritos of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) urged voters to be wary of candidates who go all out in their campaign spending.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Responding to a question, Arao said politicians such as Geraldine and Noel Rosal of Albay got in trouble with the Comelec for using government funds to distribute cash aid to tricycle drivers and senior citizens in 2022, without proper coordination with the poll body.
Clik here to view.
Moreover, user Gene Rodriguez cited a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report that P4 billion had been spent for campaign advertisements before the filing of certificates of candidacy in October 2024. Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar and Senator Imee Marcos, who are both running for senator, are the top spending candidates with ads worth 1 billion pesos each.
Clik here to view.
Candidates are obviously taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s ruling that there’s no such thing as premature campaigning, Caritos pointed out.
Clik here to view.
Meanwhile, those who are using government aid to make voters feel indebted to them can easily pass off the activity as plain public service, giving incumbents an advantage, said Go.
Clik here to view.
Until the restrictions set by the High Court’s ruling are refined or overturned, obvious campaign activities before the campaign period will continue to go unpunished.
What to call out and where to report it
Given the policy gaps, election watchdogs highlighted that voter education is crucial so citizens would know what violations to to call out.
Clik here to view.
While the Comelec cannot impose sanctions, voters’ groups, such as Kontra Daya, LENTE Philippines, and WE Watch, urge citizens to closely monitor electoral fraud such as premature campaigning, as the country nears the local campaign period.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Arao pointed out that people should call out government aid programs and activities bearing the face of candidates, to ensure that the program is politically independent and will not benefit the candidates.
Clik here to view.
Poras encouraged citizens to report other election issues they spot. Reports being sent to WE Watch are collated and submitted to the Comelec and international organizations for review.
Clik here to view.
The public can also report instances of premature campaigning to Rappler. The Rappler Communities app has a public chat room called voter-hotline, where any reader can post photos or post a message to report election violations. Comelec staff are in the chat room to monitor reports sent by users. Rappler and Comelec launched the voter-hotline chat room in June.
The community chat on premature campaigning was also done in the voter-hotline chat room. This effort is part of the #AmbagNatin campaign, which aims to empower and inform voters as the May 2025 election nears. – with reports from Kyla Simbahon/Rappler.com
Kyla Simbahon is a Rappler volunteer from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños. She is a third year BS Economics student majoring in environmental economics. She is the secretary of the UPLB Economics Society and the associate director for legal affairs of the UPLB Career Assistance Program.