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Here are some of the common lies that partisans spread to sabotage the elections and disenfranchise voters. Don’t believe them, don't share them.
On the last night of the campaign (May 10) and on the supposedly quiet day between then and the May 12 Philippine elections, expect false leads to abound and disinformation to intensify.
There will always be political camps that wouldn’t have qualms about playing dirty through their operators, goons, trolls, blind or clueless supporters, or plain mercenaries.
Based on my decades of covering and studying campaigns and elections, here are some of the common lies that partisans spread to sabotage the chances of rival candidates and disenfranchise the latter’s voters.
In the newsroom, Rappler journalists are given a refresher on this (evolving) list during the homestretch of every election season. This should be a helpful reminder to all voters, who can help maintain the integrity of the elections by being responsible consumers and producers of news and personal social media updates.
Here are some of the “news,” which, if unverified, baseless, and unfounded, should not make you panic — and you should avoid sharing.
1. Allegations of vote buying, harassment
We are for thwarting vote buying and vote selling, but we should be aware how false claims to this effect are among the easiest ways to smear one’s rival candidate. Videos and photos can be staged (a political camp showing peso bills attached to sample ballots plastered with a rival’s campaign paraphernalia, for example). Get the details from local election watchdogs. Know, too, if any aid distribution has been granted exemption by the Comelec, and therefore cannot be considered an abuse of state resources.
2. Rumors of withdrawal, concession, disqualification
These are obviously intended to discourage the voters of one’s rivals from going out to cast their vote. For withdrawal of candidacy or concession of the contest to be legitimate and official, the announcements will have to be made via the official social media accounts and statements of the candidates themselves.
As for the disqualification announcement, this will come only from the Commission on Elections (Comelec). If your candidate gets disqualified, you can make a statement of protest by still casting your vote for him or her since their name is still on the ballot and will be counted by the machines.
3. Dissolution or closing of precincts
If a candidate’s camp spreads this rumor in your barangay or cluster of barangays where the rival is known to have a strong following, then it’s meant to discourage the residents from going to the polling precincts. All the more that the voter should go to the polling center. The Comelec doesn’t dissolve or close precincts without assigning alternative or new precincts to the affected voters. Unless not practicable, the precincts of reassignment would be within the same center or area.
4. Running out of ballots
This is not going to happen. The Comelec prints one ballot per registered voter, plus additional contingency ballots that are equivalent to .16% of the total voters. For the 68,431,965 registered local voters for the 2025 Philippine elections (excluding overseas voters), the poll body printed 68,542,564 ballots, or a difference of 110,599 ballots.
5. Suspension of voting
Only the local election board can make this decision and announce it. Unless you come to the polling precinct and hear the confirmation or see for yourself any post outside the precinct, don’t stop yourself from going to the polls. If your precinct is dissolved or closed, see no. 3.
6. Presence of cops or soldiers in polling centers
Especially in localities where the situation is volatile and violence is possible, the Comelec can deputize policemen and soldiers to secure the polling centers. Men in uniform are allowed to stay within a 30-meter radius of polling precincts upon the request of electoral boards. Cops and soldiers are not allowed inside the polling rooms, however. Outside of these parameters, their presence can largely mean they are acting as security forces of politicians, which is prohibited.
7. Cries of cheating or fraud
If any camp floats speculations or conspiracy theories, be inquisitive about the basis of their claims. Do they hold water? Do they defy common sense? Are the claims too fantastic? At Rappler, we take our cue from our tech team and computer engineers because they know the system — we report only when they flag something. Voters, again, should stick to what credible poll watchdogs and responsible media are reporting.
8. Rumors of proclamation
Rumors of proclamation are meant to either send home the poll watchers of a rival even before the count is over or to trick a rival into conceding the election even if vote counts are still close.
Only the local board of canvassers can proclaim winners — not the candidates or their supporters, not in their statements, or vlogs, or social media posts. The board can do this once 100% of the precincts in the locality have transmitted their counts. The board can also decide to proclaim a winner even while the count is incomplete if it shows that the lead of the No. 1 candidate will no longer be altered by the votes that are yet to come in. – Rappler.com
