COMELEC to 2025 bets: Use Digital Innovation Ethically
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) enjoined candidates and campaign managers to responsibly adopt digital innovation in their campaigns. “Prioritize the truth, transparency and practice ethical campaigning,”Commissioner Rey Bulay emphasized during the National Election Game Changer Summit held in November 2024 at the Marquis Events Place in BGC, Taguig City. “Our electorate deservers no less. Let us prioritize security both online and offline. Protect personal data, guard against hacking, and secure communication channels to ensure the safety of candidates, teams and thne democratic proces,” he added. Bulay highlighted that the rise of technologies like social media and artificial intelligence poses new challenges for the commission. According to him, while these tools are powerful, they can be weaponized to spread misinformation, sway public opinion, and undermine the credibility of elections. “Napakadali pong mag-confuse ng voters sa social media. Yun lamang pong maliin kung saan ang polling place may problema na tayo. Fostering mistrust and dangerous or irreversible errors mean voter disenfranchisement. The antidote is very simple: accurate information for a well-informed electorate. But how do you do it? They should be able to discern fact from fiction,” he explained. Bulay underscored the imporance of fact-checking as a cornerstone of modern election management, urging COMELEC, media organizations, and civil society to foster a culture of verification. “We should be able to flag false content on social platforms and, more importantly, provide accessible, readily available credible sources of information,” he urged. The commissioner reminded the public that COMELEC’s role is not to predict election outcomes but to ensure every vote is cast freely and that voters have access to the truth. “As we stand on the edge of new era in Philippine elections, I ask each one of you to committ to this vision, a vision where technology is used for good. Disinformation is thwarted and the voice of the people is protected and amplified. “With COMELEC leading the way, let us please work togethjer to ensure that the 2025 elections will be remembered for the victory of the voters, of the candidates, of the truth, of transparency and democracy.”
Poll Bets Urged Against Sharing Fake News Online
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has reminded all political parties, candidates, and party-list groups to refrain from spreading false information on social media. At the National Election Game Changer Summit in November 2024, COMELEC Commissioner Nelson Celis urged candidates not to post misinformation or disinformation on their social media accounts. “Don’t post any fake news that would create disinformation or misinformation. Otherwise, you will be committing an election offense,” Celis said. He referenced COMELEC Resolution 11064, which requires candidates and parties to register their official social media accounts, websites, and other online campaign platforms with the commission. The poll body has also formed a “Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan at Katarungan sa Halalan” to monitor and regulate social media content, including attacks or false information targeting COMELEC, its officials, and the electoral process. “So far, we have 2,000 social media accounts that have been registered to COMELEC,” the official added. Celis reiterated that COMELEC is committed to ensuring credible elections and combating misinformation and disinformation.
K-Pop dominates Facebook engagement in 2024
K-Pop continued high social media engagement specifically Facebook, throughout 2024, according to a report by research firm Capstone-Intel Corporation. From January 1 to December 31, 2024, K-Pop generated 34,195 posts, attracting over 564,000 comments, nearly 1.8 million shares, and more than 19 million reactions, earning a total engagement score of 3,767,994.8. Capstone-Intel found that the majority of reactions to K-Pop posts were “love” reactions, highlighting the strong fan support and positive sentiment within the community. “66.2% were ‘love’, 23.7% were ‘like’, 5.6% were ‘haha’, 2.6% were ‘sad’, 1.8% were ‘wow’, and 0.1% were ‘angry’. This predominantly positive sentiment highlights the favorable reception of the K-Pop,” its social media scan showed. The post with the highest number of “love” reactions was by Philippine Star, reporting on former child star Mona Alawi attending Enhypen’s “FATE” concert, which received 215,061 “love” reactions and 54,715 “like” reactions. Other top posts in terms of “love” reactions included: three Filipinas joining the final lineup of the K-pop girl group UNIS; IU performing a Filipino song at her concert in the Philippine Arena, Bulacan; Blackpink announcing their 2025 world tour; and Jin of BTS being discharged from the military. Meanwhile, the most engaging post, by Manila Bulletin, featured K-post star IU performing “Pasilyo” by SunKissed Lola during her 2024 IU HEREH World Tour at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, earning an engagement score of 39,383.7. Many comments praised IU’s impressive rendition of a Filipino song. The second most engaging post, by Philippine Star, announced Blackpink’s 2025 world tour, with an engagement score of 37,565.7. A post by ABS-CBN News about Jeonghan of SEVENTEEN starting his mandatory military service on September 26, becoming the first member of the 13-member group to enlist, earned an engagement score of 31,897.5. The fourth most engaging post highlighted Alawi attending the “FATE” concert, achieving an engagement score of 29,337.8. The fifth most engaging post, also by ABS-CBN News, covered Jeonghan’s military service and Jun’s plans to pursue acting in China, earning a score of 29,271.6. Other notable posts included ABS-CBN News reporting that three Filipinas had joined the final lineup of the K-pop girl group UNIS, which garnered an engagement score of 29,186.1. A Philippine Star video showing a family from Laguna joyfully unboxing a new SEVENTEEN album scored 25,945.2. Another ABS-CBN News report confirming the dating news of actor Lee Jae-wook and aespa’s Karina earned 24,740.5. ABS-CBN News also covered ENHYPEN’s “fun meet” at the Mall of Asia Arena, with an engagement score of 22,430.6, while Rappler’s post about the debut of seven trainees in the K-pop girl group IZNA during the I-LAND 2 finale on July 4 achieved a score of 22,411.4.
