Influencer, celebrity campaign engagements to be classified as paid services – Comelec

Metro Manila, Philippines - Campaign endorsements by influencers, content creators, and celebrities for the midterm polls may be classified as paid services, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Friday, Jan. 31.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the policy – called presumption of paid service – is a recommendation from the poll body’s political finance and affairs department, which the full commission is expected to approve next week.

“Any person, including influencer, content creator, and celebrity who shall openly support, endorse, promote, or otherwise, the campaign of any candidate or party using print, broadcast media, social media, or other electronic mass communication, is presumed as a contractor, and whose service is paid by such candidate or party benefited therefrom,” Garcia said, reading a portion of the proposed policy in a chance interview with reporters at the Comelec office in Manila.

“Content shall include but not limited to any vlog, podcast, meme, video, image, post, television or radio program, and advertisement which promote the victory or defeat of a candidate or a party,” he added.

This means these payments must be included in the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures that candidates are required to file after the elections, to make sure their spending is within limits of the law.

Exemptions are not yet known.

Garcia said Comelec does not intend to target social media personalities.

“Ang purpose namin, doon sa mga kandidato, para naman maging tama ang kanilang pagrereport. Hindi yung sinasabing libre, wala namang bayad, dahil kaibigan, kamag-anak, kakilala, o kaya idol lang nila or what,” he said.

[Translation: Our purpose is for the candidates, to ensure that their reporting is accurate. They can’t just say the endorsement is free or unpaid because they are friends, relatives, acquaintances, or just because they idolize them, or whatever the reason may be.]

Garcia said it will address the loophole in tracking election expenses, where social media is less monitored compared to television, radio, and print.