I

.1e.c.

Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS
Intramuros, Manila

EN BANC

GUIDELINES FOR THE GARCIA, George Erwin M. Chairman

ACCREDITATION OF MASS INTING, Socorro B. Commissioner
MEDIA AND OBSERVERS CASQUEIO Marlon S. Commissioner
SPECIFIC FOR THE OCTOBER FEROLINO, Aimee P. Com missioner
30, 2023 BARANGAYAND BULAY, Rey E. Commissioner
SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN MACEDA, Jr., Ernesto Ferdinand P. Commissioner
(sK)ELECTTONS CELIS, Nelsoru I. Commissioner

x-------------- ------ -----------x

Promulgated: luly 26, 2023

RESOLUTION NO.
L094?

WHEREAS, on June 7, 2023, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC)

promulgated Resolution No. 10924 entitled "General Guidelines and Other
Related Laws for the October 30,2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
Elections (BSKE) and All Succeeding BSKEs Thereafter";

WHEREAS, Article IX of the said General Guidelines prescribed the

procedures for the accreditation of mass media and observers;

WHEREAS, Article IX of the said General Guidelines is of general

application hence, the need for the Commission to prescribe guidelines specific to
the conduct of the October 30, 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
Elections, urd fix dates such as the filing applications for accreditation and reports
on actions taken thereorL amongst others;

WHEREAS, prior experiences and procedures adopted in recent elections,

given likewise the curent health situation of the country, there is a necessitv to
provide a hybrid mechanism to further strear ine and make more efficient the
filing of applications for accreditation;

NOW, THEREFORE, prrsuant to the powers vested in it by the

Constitution, the Onutibus Election Code, and other election laws, the COMELEC
has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to promulgate the following specific
guidelines for the accreditation of media and observers applicable to the October
30, 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections:
SECTION 1. Dates for filing application for accreditation. - For purposes of the
October 30, 2023 BSKE, the filing of appJications shall be from August 1 to
September 29, 2023.
SECTION 2. Submission of applications for acueilitation. -TL-e apptcations for
accreditation shall be filed at the following offices:

a) Applications for accreditation of 1) national media, forcign meilia al.td other

meilia, both domestic and foreign, such as novelists, screenwriters,
play'wrights, and those involved in the production of feature films and
documentaries; and 2) foreign obseroerl and doffiestic obseroers utith
official addresses in the National Capital Region shall be filed at the
Education and Information Department (EID) either personally or bv an
authorized representative or via online.

Apptcants who prefer to file their applications online shall submit their
applications by accomplishing an online registration form and submitting
the requirements via this link: htt S lorms.oflice.com r k26Xz8 z\{h or
QR code:

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b) Applications for accreditation of local meilia shall be filed at the Office of

the Provincial Election Supervisor (OPES) concerned personally or
through an authorized representative; and

c) Applications for accreditation of domestic obsen els residing within the

provinces in the region shall be filed at the Offices of the Regional Election
Directors (OREDs) concemed personally or through an authorized
representative.

The prescribed application forms are downloadable at the COMELEC website,

\v\ rw.('onlelec. qor'. ph,

SECTION 3. Doctmentary requiremmts for accreditation. - Applicants for

accreditation shall submit the following requirements:

a) For media (national, local and foreign):

o A fully accomplished COMELEC Media Accreditation Form;

o Two (2) recent 1..5" x1..5" colored photographs;
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 a Endorsement from the publisher, editor-in-chief, assignment editor, station
manager, or similar officer of the newspaper, television station, radio
station, or online publication employing the applicant;
a An endorsement from the appropriate officer of the broadcast entity or film
distributor which has committed to air/distribute the work; and
a In the case of freelancers, a valid assignment letter from the bonafide media
organization for which the freelancer is on assignment.

b) For observers (foreign and local):

. Duly accomplished COMELEC Observer Accreditation Form;

o TWo (z) recent 1.S"x 1.S" colored photographs of the applicant;
. If foreigner or foreign group, organization, committee or association
organization, endorsement issued by the ambassador or consul of the
applicant's home country;
o For foreign nationals who are members of their countries' election
management bodies or election administration authorities, an
endorsement from their respective Head of Office in lieu of the
endorsement issued by the ambassador or consul of the applicant's home
country;
o Terms of Reference or similar document, explaining the purposes of the
election observation mission; and
. Proof of Covid-rg vaccination, if necessary based on existing regulations.

Applications with incomplete requirements shall not be processed.

SECTION 4. Qualifications for accreditation as obseraers. - Applicants for

accreditation as observers must have a bona fde intention to participate in the
conduct of the 2023 BSKE exclus,ittely as obseruers or monitors of the electoral process,
mtstbe free from any politicaf economic or other conflicts of interests that would
interfere with conducting observations/monitoring impartially, and must comply
with the provisions of Sections 3 and 10 hereof. Applicants are required to disclose
their intention to take part in the conduct of the elections as domestic or foreign
observers or monitors.

This provision shall not preclude the observers who are Filipino citizens and
also registered voters from casting their votes in the Barangay and Sangguniang
Kabataan Elections.

SECTION 5. Approaal of applications for accreditation. - The individual

application forms shall be reviewed and evaluated by EID, ORED and OPES, as
the case may be.

Approval of apptcations for accreditation is hereby delegated by the

Commission to the:

a) Director IV of the COMELEC-EID - for national medi4 foreign

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 media and other media, foreign observers and domestic observers
with official addresses in the National Capital Region;
b) The concerned Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) - for local
media; and
c) The concerned Regional Election Director (RED) - for domestic
observers residing within the provinces in the region.

SECTION 6. Accreditation of inaited obsenters for the 2023 BSKE lnternational

Election Obsentation Program. - Individuals who are issued an invitation by the
Commission to participate in the COMELEC's lntemational Election Observation
Program for the October 30,2023 BSKE shall automatically be accredited upon
conlirmation of their participation by registering on the online link indicated in
the issued invitation. Thev are not required to submit the documentary
requirements mentioned in Section 3 hereof, except for the photograph.

This shall apply to the following invited individuals:

a) Foreign nationals who are members of their countries' election management

bodies or election administration authorities;
b) Foreign nationals who are members of their countries' foreign diplomatic
service corps and are posted in the Philippines;
c) Foreign nationals who are aJfiliated with international organizations, civil
society or sectoral organizations that are based outside the Philippines; imd
d) Filipino citizens who are employed or alfiliated with intemational
organizations, civil society or sectoral organizations that are based outside
the Philippines.

SECTION 7. Other actions to be taken on applications for accreditation. - Tlte

following actions shall be taken by the concemed o{fice on the following
applications for accreditation:

a) For local media:

Within seven (7) days from the last day of filing of application for
accreditation, the PES shall furnish the EID, via e-mail, a list of all
apptcations received, indicating the status of each individual applicatiory
whether approved or denied.

b) For observers:

Within seven (7) working days alter the deadline, the REDs shall fumish
the EID with the final list of applications indicating the status of each
individual application, whether approved or denied.

The EID shall furnish the Comrrrission en banc with a list of the approved
applications for accreditation and provide the ORED concemed a list of

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 the foreign observers intending to visit their area for their information
and for anv appropriate security measures needed.

SECTION 8. Media and obseft,er iilentification card. - Upon approval of the

application for accreditatiory the concemed office where the application was filed
shall issue a media or observer card, as the case maybe.

The COMELEC media or observer identilication card shall be claimed

personallv or through an authorized representative from the:
a) EID, for national media, foreign media and other media, foreign
observers and domestic observers with official addresses in the National
Capita-l Regron;
b) concemed OPES for local media; and
c) concemed RED, for domestic observers residing within the provinces in
the region

The media or observer card is strictly non-tra-nsferable and is valid only for
the purpose for wfuch it was issued. It sha11 be wom prominently whenever the
media or observer is covering or observing any official event relating to the
elections.

SECTION 9. Access and pittileges - Duly accredited media and observers shall
be allowed access to all stages of the electoral process including preparatory
activities subject to such conditions as may be necessary for the protection of
COMELEC personnef propert,v, privileged informatiory and the integrit,v of the
elections and compliance with the relevant guideLines of Inter-Agency Task Force
for the Management of Emerging Inlectious Diseases (IATF-MEID). PROVIDED
FURTHE& that the COMELEC Accreditation shall not be used to undermine any
of the protections mandated by Republic Act No. 1'0173 or the Data Privary Act of
2072.

In additioru duly accredited observers shall also have access to all persons
concemed with the electoral process, upon reasonable requests, including, but not
limited to:

o COMELEC officials, subject to request and availability of the official

concemed;
. Members of tegislative bodies, securitv officials and govemment agencies
with functions that are relevant and significant to organizing democratic
elections, subject to their availability, policies and other protocols;
. All persons participating in the elections, in whatever capacit,v; and
r News media persorurel.

SECTION 10. Coile of conilucf. - All accredited media and observers shall observe
the following rules of conduct.
a) For media
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1. Respect the authority of the Electoral Board (EB) or Barangay Board of
Canvassers (BBOC) with regard to the number of accredited media which
shall be allowed inside the polling place or canvassing room at any given
time;
2. Immediately identify themselves upon entry into the polling place or
caavassing room by presenting their media cards before the EB or BBOC
and proof of COVID-19 vaccinatior; rf, and when necessarv based on
existing regulations;

3. Strictly observe minimum health protocols and safety measures as stated in

the relevant guidelines of the Inter-Agenry Task Force for the Management
of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), COMELEC and the
concerned local government units;

4. Maintain professionalism at all times. Unprofessional activities shall not be

tolerated. The accreditation ofany media practitioner found to have engaged
in any unprofessional activity shall be summarily revoked by the EB or
BBOC where the activity complained of is committed, by eonfiscating the
media card of the offender;

Unprofessional activities shall include, but shall not be limited to:

a Anybehavior deemed disruptive of the conduct of voting, counting, or

canvassing, such as, but not limited to, conducting interviews inside
the polling place or canvassing room;

o Engaging in partisan political activities, which refer to acts designed

to promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate or
candidates to pubLic office;

o Any behavior intended to unduly influence the choice ofvoters, such

as, but not limited to, directly swaying the voter to speak for or
against a candidate;

o Distributing campaign materials;

a Refusal to submit to the authority of the EB, BBOC, or the

Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO) of the voting
center where the coverage is being conducted; and

. Anybehavior deemed unlawful.

The revocation shall be noted in the Minutes of Voting and Counting, stating
therein the reasons therefor.

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 b) For observers:

1. Respect the sovereignty of the Philippines, as well as the human rights and
ftrndamental freedom of its people;
2. Respect the Philippine laws and the authoritv of the COMELEC and their
duly accredited deputies at all times;
3. Follow lawful instructions from the Philippines' govemmental and securiw
authorities;
4. Maintain impartiality and objectivity in carrying out the
observation/ monito rhg mission;
5. Refrain from interfering with, obstructing, or otherwise hampering the
conduct of any election related activity, including preparatorv and post-
election activities;
6. Maintain proper personal behavior and respect others, including exhibiting
sensitivity to the country's cultures and customg exercise sound judgment
in personal interactions and observe the highest level of professional
conduct at all timet including leisure time;
7. Prominently display the observer identification card, provided by the
COMELEC, at all times; and
8. If necessary, based on existing regulations, strict11, observe minimum public
health protocols and other prescribed salety measures as stated in the
prevailing guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management
of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), COMELEC and concemed
local government units.

SECTION aa. Surrilnary rct)ocation of accreilitation of

obseraers. - The
accreditation of any observer/monitor may be summarily revoked by the EB or
BBOC by confiscating the accredited observer's ID, and removing him/her or the
group from the polling place or canvassing room due to any of the following
grounds:

a) Any violation of the Code of Conduct;

b) Any disruptive behavior by anyone in the group;
c) Misconduct which may include but not limited to:
1. Breaching or attempting to breach the secrecy o{ the balloU
2. Knowingly obstructing electoral proceedings; and
3. Asking voters about their voting preference while observing at the
polling station.

The accreditation of the organizations mav also be revoked if it refuses to

promptly remove an observer found to be in breach of this Code from their list of
nominated individuals.

The power of the Electoral Board or BBOC to remove observers/monitors

for misconduct is in addition to their general power to keep order at the polling
place or canvassing room.

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SECTION 72. Peiod of ttaliility of acueditatioz. - Accreditation shall be valid
from the date of approval of the application until November 29, 2023 :uu;.less
othern ise revoked.

SECTION 73. Prohibited acts. - It shall be unlawful for any domestic, foreigner,
domestic or foreign group, organization, committee or association to:
a) Aid anv person or group of persons in whatever m.utner, directly or
indirectly, relative to the conduct of the elections (Sec. 81 & 89, OEC);
b) Take part or inlluence in any manner the conduct of the elections (Sec. 81 &
261, (i),OEC);
c) Engage in partisan political activities, which refer to acts designed to affect
the results of the elections (Sec. 79(b), OEC);
d) Contribute or make any expenditure in connection with any election
campaign or partisan political activitv (Sec. 81 & 261 (j), OEC)
e) Enter emv polling place without the consent of the chairman of the Electoral
Board concerned (Sec. 192, OEC)
f) Nlingle and talk with voters inside anv polling place, or otherwise disrupt
the proceedings in the polling place (Sec. 192, OEC);
g) Threaten, intimidate or actuallv causet inllicts or produces anv violence,
injury, punishment, damage, loss or disadvantage upon any person (Sec.
261(e), OEC); and
h) Propagate false and alarming reports or inJormation, transmit or circulate
false orders, directives or messages relating to the conduct of the elections
(Sec. 261 (2.11), OEC)

SECTION 74. Penalty for oiolation obseraers. - Any violation of the

for
immediately preceding Section shall be punishable as an election offense whictr, if
found guilty, ma1, be penalized by an imprisonment of not less than one (1) but
not more tharr six (6) years and shall not be su$ect for probation. In additioru if
the guilty parlv is a Filipino, the offender shall be sentenced to suJfer
disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage. On
the other hand, i{ the guilty party is a Ioreigner, he sha1l be sentenced to
deportatior; which shall be enlorced after the prison term has been served (Sec.
264,OEC).

SECTION L5. Reportoial Requireuents of acueilited obseraers. Accredited

domestic and foreign observers shall submit a report of their observation to the
Comrrission En Banc, thru the EID. A template of their reporting shall be provided
as a guide for their written report of observations and a conference for this purpose
mav likewise be called should there be a necessitv for one. The deadline of
submission of reports shall be on or before November 29,2023.

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 10942
SECTION 76. Publication and Dissemination. The Education and Information
Department shall cause the publication of these supplemental guideLines in at least
two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. The ITD shall
cause the posting of these general guidelines in the official website of the
Commission.

SO ORDERED.

GEORGE ERWIN M. GARCIA

Clnintwr

SOCORRO B.INTING MARLON S. CASQUEIO

Conrntissiotter Cornrnisiorrer

AIRMEE P. FEROLINO REY E. BULAY

Conmtissioner Conmissioner

ERNESTO FERDINAND P. MACEDA NELSON I. CELIS

Conrnrissioner Conmrissiotrcr

CERTIFICATION

APPROVED b1, the Commission En Banc during the regular meeting on fuly 26,
2023.

ATTY. S B. DIOIA
Director IV
Office of the COMELEC Secretary

This Resolution can be verified at this number (02)85272987; email address

cotttscc rlr'otttt lt't-.qor . plt.

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