Comelec takes fight against campaign violators to cyberspace

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is taking the fight against election campaign violators to the Internet through its new election awareness website.

The website www.mycomelec.tv, launched just before the official start of the May 2013 election campaign period, contains the rules and regulations for political advertisements, ways people can report potential violators, requests for a demonstration of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, and a photo gallery of prohibited propaganda.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. had urged the public to come to them and report any poll campaign violations they see so that they can check and act on it.

A page on the website is dedicated entirely for the rules and regulations during the election campaign. It details all the prohibited propaganda for print and broadcast.

It also has a simple frequently asked questions page, written in Filipino that explains how people can report to Comelec about any violations they observe.

Various social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will be used by Comelec to gather reports from people all over the country.

Twitter users can give their reports to Comelec using the handle @Comelec and the hashtag #SumbongKo.

A form will also be available in the “feedback” page of the site so netizens can file their reports there.

A full directory of Comelec’s offices is also included in the site so people have the option to report to over the phone.

Facebook users can visit the Facebook page /PCOSdemo2013 to get updates on Comelec’s schedule for its live public demonstrations on how to vote with the PCOS machines.