Comelec: Negative campaigning allowed if not libelous

Updated Tue, February 18, 2025 at 4:22 PM Published Mon, February 17, 2025 at 6:43 PM

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia stated that negative campaigning is permitted under the Omnibus Election Code, as long as it respects the rights of opponents.

However, Garcia cautioned that negative campaigning should not lead to libel, cyber libel, or oral defamation by making baseless accusations or destroying a person's integrity.

He clarified that if candidates themselves engage in such prohibited statements, Comelec may have jurisdiction.

Garcia also noted that individuals engaging in negative campaigning via social media could face libel or cyberlibel charges, with jurisdiction lying with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government agencies, not Comelec.

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Commission on Elections Department of Justice George Garcia Omnibus Election Code

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