Comelec to issue guidelines vs red-tagging

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will issue guidelines against red-tagging during the campaign period for the 2025 national and local election.

“We will come up with the guidelines against red-tagging,” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia told the DAILY TRIBUNE.

While he gave no further details yet about the content, Garcia said hopefully the poll body finishes drafting the guidelines by next week.

On Tuesday, 12 November, the Makabayan Coalition welcomed the Comelec’s commitment to issue specific guidelines against red-tagging during the midterm polls.

The Makabayan Coalition called it a “historic first,” stressing that these guidelines will protect candidates and parties from “political harassment and discrimination.”

Garcia made the commitment during his dialogue with members of the Makabayan Coalition, who raised concerns about the poll body’s guidelines on social media use.

“This is a significant victory for democratic rights and electoral reform. For the first time, we will have clear guidelines from Comelec against red-tagging, consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling in Deduro vs. Comelec,” Makabayan spokesperson Reyna Valmores Salinas said.

“This shows that our consistent push against political persecution is gaining ground," Salinas added.

Salinas stressed that this is a big win for progressive parties and candidates who have long been victims of red-tagging.

"Ang paglabas ng mga guidelines na ito ay magsisilbing proteksyon sa karapatan ng mga kandidato at partido na makipaglaban nang patas sa halalan (These guidelines will serve as protection to the rights of the candidates and parties to push for an equal fight during the elections)," she added.

Salinas said the Coalition will continue to engage with Comelec to ensure that the final guidelines protect both electoral integrity and democratic rights.

"We look forward to reviewing the specific anti-red-tagging guidelines once issued. This development strengthens our democracy and helps ensure a more level playing field in the 2025 elections," Salinas added.

Meanwhile, the Comelec will also issue guidelines for the Safe Space Act.

Garcia said these guidelines are necessary “to prevent catcalling and insults” during the campaign period.