MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now requiring any person, candidate, or organization that conducts and publicly disseminates an election survey to register with the election body.
According to Resolution 11117, promulgated on Wednesday, February 19, only pre-registered entities will be authorized to conduct and publicly disseminate the surveys.
The rule will be applied prospectively, which means that survey firms that have already been conducting and disseminating surveys have a grace period of 15 days from the effectivity date of the resolution to register with the Comelec.
Following the effectivity rule of five days after newspaper publication, then the 15-day countdown for existing pollsters will start around next week.
During the grace period, the existing survey firms may continue operations, but if they fail to register, their authority to conduct and publish election surveys will be suspended.
In an interview with Super Radyo DZBB on Friday, February 21, Comelec Chairman George Garcia emphasized that election surveys are not illegal, but they just need to be regulated due to their power to influence public opinion.
He said that some surveys deliberately exclude some candidates, defeating the chance for fair and equal opportunities.
“Hindi po kami against sa inyo,” Garcia said on the radio program, addressing survey firms. “Ito po ay para siguraduhin na ang mga kandidato ay equal ang opportunity sa space, sa pagkakataon na masama din sila, lalo na ‘yung mga walang pambayad sa mga ganitong klaseng survey.”
(We are not against you. This is just to ensure that the candidates have equal opportunities in the space, for the chance for them to be included, especially those who don’t have the resources to commission these kinds of surveys.)
The rules will only apply during the campaign and election period.
Comprehensive reporting
Five days from the publication of a survey, firms must submit a comprehensive report on it to the Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD), the same office where they register.
The report must include details like where the results were published, and how much candidates shelled out on such surveys.
As for new responsibilities from the Comelec, the resolution directs the PFAD to develop a standardized template for these comprehensive reports. The commission’s Education and Information Department must also create a verification mechanism to authenticate election survey results and prevent the dissemination of fraudulent surveys falsely attributed to legitimate pollsters.
All disclosures and comprehensive reports will be published on the Comelec website.
This is not the first time election surveys have been regulated, as the Fair Elections Act of 2001 already requires certain rules for election polls, like disclosing who paid for and conducted the survey, and what the methodology was.
Balancing act
In an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo also on Friday, Octa Research Group fellow Guido David said that his group supports the measure, understanding the Comelec’s concern over fake surveys.
“There’s a time for measures to prevent the spreading of disinformation… This is damaging. So in a way, I believe this is to protect the integrity of [the elections],” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
However, there is also concern on whether this new measure might be “geared to controlling information that is being released to the public.”
“We want to prevent disinformation, but we don’t also want any government institution or agency to exert a lot of influence on controlling information,” David said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Read the full resolution here:
– Rappler.com