TikTok bans political advertisements for 2025 midterm elections
TikTok has banned political advertisements for the 2025 midterm elections, as several social media platforms pledged their support to the Commission on Elections (Comelec)'s campaign against disinformation.
Peachy Paderna, public policy manager of TikTok Philippines, said political advertising, paid political promotion, and fundraising by politicians and political parties are banned on the platform.
“We do this so we can foster and promote an environment that brings people together, through positive dialogue, not divide them,” Paderna said during the ceremonial signing of technology companies’ pledge of support.
She, however, clarified that users are free to discuss candidates and political issues.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) and Google also vowed to help Comelec in the fight against disinformation.
Nixon David, public policy manager of Meta Philippines, said the platform commits “to identify and stop emerging threats and by limiting the spread of misinformation,” even as it constantly reviews tools to make the platform safe.
Yves Gonzalez, government affairs and public policy head of Google Philippines, said they're committed to preventing the spread of misinformation and foreign interference in the local elections.
“Our efforts include partnering with fact-checkers and journalists to debunk false claims and promote accurate election-related information,” Gonzalez said, adding that YouTube has community standards in place to prevent harmful content.
Gonzalez said Google will ban political ads during the regulated period.
David, meanwhile, said Meta will allow political ads, but noted that there are integrity measures in place and an ad library that contains details, like the cost of the ads.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia reminded candidates to register their social media accounts for monitoring.
To date, the poll body said 62 candidates have registered. The deadline for registration is on Dec. 13.
Comelec Commissioner Nelson Celis, for his part, said influencers who are supporting certain candidates must also register, as their work would be counted as part of campaign expenses.
"They have to register, all their respective accounts," Celis said. "Nobody will be exempted in this regard."
The midterm elections are on May 12, 2025. Overseas Filipinos may vote from April 13 to May 12, while local absentees—AFP, the Philippine National Police, and media practitioners—may vote from April 28 to 30.
According to Comelec, there will be a total of 18,272 national and local political positions in the 2025 elections, which is an increase of 200 positions compared to the 2022 polls. (with reports from Mayen Jaymalin)
