ALBAY, Philippines – On Thursday, April 3, residents of Masbate were shocked when their mobile phones suddenly began blaring what sounded like warning signals.
It turned out to be emergency cellular alert messages. However, instead of warning Masbate residents of impending dangers, the message urged them to vote for several members of the Kho family, who are running for various local posts in the May 12, 2025 polls.
The messages read, “Vote Richard Kho for Governor, Fernando ‘Andot’ Talisic for vice governor, Elisa ‘Olga’ Kho for 2nd District Representative, and Ara Olga Kho for City Mayor.”
Christian Dometia Zaragoza, one of those who received the alert, said people in his office were alarmed and panicked when they simultaneously received the emergency messages. They thought a sudden storm was coming.
“At 10:43 am, our office phones all received an emergency flash message. We were confused since there was no earthquake or storm,” he recalled.
Zaragoza questioned the use of emergency alerts for political campaigns, highlighting their concern over their data privacy and the false alarms which caused panic among residents.
“Why are emergency alerts being used as a platform for political campaigns? Isn’t this a violation of our data privacy rights? The scheme also caused panic because we all thought that it was really an emergency like heavy rainfall, storm, or earthquake happening,” Zaragoza said.
Bicol Region, particularly Masbate, is prone to calamities such as intense flooding, landslides, and earthquakes. In 2024, for instance, over 379,000 residents were heavily affected by intense flooding in Bicol due to Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, many of whom were from Masbate.
Rappler tried to contact some members of the Kho family listed in the alert messages through their official Facebook pages and email but received no response as of writing.
In a statement that aired on GMA’s 24 Oras on Monday, Masbate 1st District Representative Richard Kho, who is running for governor of the province, denied they had a hand in the emergency alerts.
“My running mates and I did not allow anyone to use our names in the emergency alert shown in the screenshots. Nalaman lang po namin na ginamit ang mga pangalan namin (We just learned that our names were used) through the posts on Facebook,” he said.
“…As members of the legal profession, my sister and I do not and will never tolerate the misuse of emergency alert systems for campaigning nor for any other purpose beyond those authorized by law,” Kho, a lawyer, said.
Dangerous gimmick
First launched in the Philippines in 2017 following the approval of Republic Act 10639, or the Mobile Disaster Alerts Act, the Emergency Cell Broadcasting System (EBCS) has since served an important role in calamity mitigation and responses.
Telecommunications companies such as Globe and Smart are mandated to send free mobile disaster alerts to ensure timely warnings based on location. The use of the system for non-emergency purposes is a violation of the law, and is punishable with fines and imprisonment.
In a statement released on Sunday, April 6, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) condemned the abuse of the alert system, and stressed that the inappropriate use of the ECBS, particularly for political campaigns, can endanger lives.
“This system is designed exclusively for issuing life-saving alerts during emergencies, such as earthquakes, typhoons, and other public safety threats. Utilizing it for political messages not only undermines its critical purpose but also risks desensitizing the public to genuine emergencies, potentially endangering lives,” the OCD emphasized.
The OCD said Globe Telecom and Smart Communications have confirmed that they do not utilize the ECBS for non-emergency messages and have not sent any political campaign alerts.
“It is crucial to emphasize that none of these telecommunications providers offer ECBS services to private individuals or companies for any purpose other than genuine emergencies,” the OCD said.
As of writing, the case has been forwarded to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for investigation. The NTC oversees the implementation of this law and the compliance of telecommunications companies in the Philippines.
The OCD also urged the public to report similar cases for appropriate action. “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any further misuse of the ECBS. Together, we can protect the integrity of our emergency alert systems and ensure they serve their intended purpose — keeping the public safe.”
System distrust
Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia, in an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo on Monday, called out possible offenders for narrow-mindedness and for violating the law.
“I hope that they will understand that it should only be used for national emergency cases and calamities, not for their political campaigns. It’s illegal to use it aside from emergencies,” Garcia said.
He also highlighted the seriousness of the misuse of the ECBS, noting that it might make people distrust the system, especially during real emergencies or calamities. Garcia also urged all concerned agencies to properly investigate the incident.
“Of course, they will deny it, and there’s also a possibility that it is really not them who did it, so our law enforcers must arrest those who are responsible for it and confiscate all the materials they used to commit it,” Garcia added. – Rappler.com