Films, TV shows told to be mindful when tackling poll-related issues

Commission on Elections Chairperson George Erwin Garcia (File Photo: COMELEC/Facebook)

By Ferdinand Patinio, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday asked movies and television shows to be mindful when tackling election-related issues so as not to cause the spread of misinformation.

In an interview, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said films and television have a responsibility to properly educate the public on issues.

“We just want to ask them that, while it is true that it is fictional by nature, we hope it won’t result [in] misinformation, which the public may believe,” Garcia said.

“The characters and the story may be fictional, but hopefully, the laws and the rules we are implementing and [that] they are showing will be truthful and not fictional.”

Garcia said the poll body is “very much willing” to help educate films and television show producers about election laws.

“We are very much willing to inform them what are the policies during the campaign period and during elections,” he said.

This comes after election lawyer Romulo Macalintal pointed out over the weekend the factual errors about premature campaigning that was shown in an episode of a popular television series.

“The candidates [in the TV show] are supposed to know that there is no more premature campaigning in our automated elections and, therefore, there is nothing illegal to post political ads before the start of the campaign period,” Macalintal said in a statement.

Macalintal said the Comelec should brief those behind the TV show about election laws and rules.

Garcia said representatives from the show are set to come to the Comelec’s main office in Manila on Thursday.