Bayan Muna party-list not disqualified in midterm polls — Comelec

Metro Manila, Philippines - Bayan Muna party-list is not disqualified from the May 12 midterm elections. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday said any announcement claiming otherwise is misinformation or "fake news.”

Bayan Muna party-list, a member of the Makabayan coalition, seeks a return seat in the House of Representatives after its failed attempt in the 2022 national and local elections.

In an advisory, Comelec said there have been fake press statements circulating online that supposedly shows an order from the commission’s spokesperson announcing Bayan Muna’s disqualification.

The fake statement said that the poll body disqualified the partylist for ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front.

“Makikitang ginaya ang layout at format ng Press Statement para magmistulang tunay at galing sa Comelec,” the poll body said.

[Translation: You can see that the layout and format of the Press Statement is copied to make it look like it is authentic and from Comelec.]

Comelec said Bayan Muna is still officially part of the party-list groups that can be voted for on May 12, adding its en banc did not release any resolution to disqualify the group.

The poll agency warned that spreading false information about the midterm elections is considered an offense under Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code.

Meanwhile, members of the Makabayan coalition slammed social media pages and sites spreading false information posing as legitimate news media outlets.

NewsWatch Plus has seen at least four pages namely “Terror Watch,” “Election Watch Bicol,” “Pulso ng Bayan,” and “Kontra Baghak” sharing the press statement that has been flagged as fake.

The pages also posted false news articles and “Breaking News” posts supposedly from Inquirer.net, Rappler, ABS-CBN News, The Philippine STAR, and GMA News Online. These media outfits have denied releasing any posts about the false disqualification.

Makabayan campaign manager Renato Reyes Jr. condemned the “last-minute smear and disinformation campaign” against the coalition’s partylist groups, demanding Comelec to immediately “take decisive action.”

“Comelec should investigate and file the necessary charges against those behind the Facebook posts and fabricated documents and news articles. Comelec should be decisive and not allow this mockery of election laws and the Comelec itself to go unpunished,” he said in a statement.

Reyes urged the public to be vigilant and report to Comelec pages spreading dis- and misinformation.