MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will make all election-related materials publicly accessible, Commissioner George Erwin Garcia announced.  

Speaking at the Rotary Club of Manila event, Garcia said Comelec will publish audit logs, transmission logs, IP addresses of all election machines, and the campaign contribution and expenditure reports of all national and local candidates. 

This marks the first time such documents will be released proactively, even without formal requests, the commissioner said.

“After the elections are over, one week after, we are going to publish, without anybody asking for it, all the audit logs, transmission logs, the IP addresses of all the machines that we used during the elections… and also for the first time, Sir, we are going to likewise publicize all the state of contribution expenditures of all the candidates nationwide, national and local, for the first time, even without anybody asking for it,” he said.

Garcia made the remark in response to a question about the previous election, where concerns were raised about potential fraud during the transmission of results from precincts to the canvassing area. He was asked how Comelec ensures the integrity and accuracy of the transmitted data.

At the same time, the official said although there were concerns of the alleged fraud in the 2022 elections, it’s important that the public should move forward.

“Regardless of our belief on what happened in 2022 or the elections before that, we will definitely respect all these agreements. But what is important is, we have to move forward. And that’s very important. We have to ensure that the integrity, especially of the transmission, is protected,” he said.

Celebrities, influencers as ‘paid campaigners’ 

For the 2025 elections, Comelec plans to issue a resolution treating celebrities and influencers endorsing candidates as paid campaigners.  

Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates must list all hired campaigners in their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE).

The resolution does not apply to candidates’ relatives up to the second degree.

“That does not apply to those with family relationships up to the second degree of consanguinity and affinity… there will be no presumption,” said Garcia.

‘Can’t regulate content, but candidates need to register’

In an exclusive interview with Republika News, Garcia said that candidates using social media platforms, especially TikTok, must register their accounts. However, he acknowledged that the poll body cannot regulate content due to the absence of a governing law.  

“We can’t regulate because there’s no law on social media regulation. At the same time, we cannot interfere with content, as that would violate freedom of expression,” Garcia said.  

When asked about tackling disinformation, he clarified that Comelec can regulate accounts spreading false or misleading information online.

“That’s why we’re letting the social media accounts of the candidates be registered. Only up to them. I’m removing the private individuals. Because it might violate the freedom of expression,” he said.