The Commission on Elections says face-to-face campaigning could be prohibited for the 2022 elections due to the persisting threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said they were proceeding with election preparations and how to prevent the spread of the virus, adding there would be “a change in the campaigning landscape.”
“Activities like giving out materials or going out or talking to people face-to-face for campaign purposes, that’s gonna change. Door-to-door campaigns might be prohibited,” Jimenez told the ABS-CBN news.
While it is not yet official if such prohibition will be declared, Jimenez said, the Comelec would be coordinating with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the matter.
“But certainly there will be changes in the way people do things. In a perfect world, yes, that sort of face-to-face campaigning would be strictly regulated, maybe even prohibited,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez said the Comelec may instead promote online campaigning to help ensure the safety of voters against the spread of the new coronavirus.
To prevent the possible spread of misinformation online during the usually tense and cutthroat campaign period, Jimenez said, they were planning to collaborate with various social media platforms to prevent it.
“We will be reaching out to the social media platforms to find proactive means of controlling the spread of false information and perhaps, hopefully, bringing accountability to the table as well for the people who propagate false information,” said Jimenez.
Meanwhile, Jimenez said extending the deadline of the voter registration beyond September 30 was unlikely especially with the expected start of the filing of certificates of candidacy in October for the May 2022 national and local polls.
Instead of extending the voter registration period, Jimenez said, they were considering extending the registration hours, among others, to reach out to more people.
“On a daily basis we might extend by about three hours,” he said.
“As you know, registration is from Monday to Thursday. So Comelec is looking towards making that Monday to Friday or perhaps even doing a weekend registration,” Jimenez added.