Election Commission announces preliminary adjustments to election schedule

In a press conference held by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, allegations of vote manipulation in the 2025 senatorial race surfaced.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia declared that no media outlets or political parties possessing partial or unofficial results have software programs capable of detecting and filtering duplicates.

"I'd just like to clarify. At around 2:00 AM, it seems there was some vote manipulation or count discrepancies. The Comelec does not determine winners, does not rank candidates, and cannot unilaterally alter the results because we are the Comelec and therefore, the official results are the ones we can release as to who the number 1 and number 2 candidates are," Garcia explained.

At 12:32 PM in Comelec's data feed for partial, unofficial results, 68.76 percent of election returns listed reelectionist Senator Christopher "Bong" Go first with 26,430,315 votes.

However, by 3:50 PM, Go's vote count dropped to 21,699,929.

Similar fluctuations were observed for other senatorial candidates in the partial and unofficial results.

Comelec assured the public that these fluctuations would not affect the candidates' rankings.

In the background, concerns loom surrounding digital disinformation and potential foreign interference in the electoral process. AI misuse, fake accounts, deepfakes, and the dissemination of false news have been identified as election offenses by the commission[2].

A formal complaint was filed alleging candidates allied with former President Rodrigo Duterte gained an unfair advantage from China-funded digital disinformation campaigns. This complaint is supported by forensic evidence such as traffic logs and bot activity reports, pointing to coordinated foreign-backed efforts that might have influenced the election narrative[4].

The election's automated system has reportedly addressed traditional vote manipulation tactics such as ballot switching and vote-buying, but the challenge now lies in combating disinformation that can distort democratic choices and public perceptions, which could indirectly affect voter behavior[3].

Media coverage and campaign materials have been manipulated in the sense that news outlets may present candidates in a favorable manner, sometimes blending news with campaign propaganda. Though this may influence voters, it differs from direct vote manipulation by tampering with votes or election machines[1].

In summary, while concerns about digital disinformation campaigns and foreign interference potentially influencing the 2025 Philippine senatorial elections persist, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has not officially confirmed or presented evidence of direct vote manipulation such as tampering with votes or election machines[2][4][3]. Instead, efforts seem to focus on combating disinformation and ensuring transparency during the campaign.

Despite allegations of vote manipulation and count discrepancies in the 2025 senatorial race in the Philippines, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has assured the public that their automated system has addressed traditional vote manipulation tactics.
In the midst of concerns surrounding digital disinformation and potential foreign interference in the 2025 Philippine senatorial elections, a formal complaint has been filed alleging candidates allied with former President Rodrigo Duterte gained an unfair advantage from China-funded digital disinformation campaigns.
As the 2025 Philippine senatorial elections unfolded, concerns about disinformation and fake news emerged, with media coverage and campaign materials being manipulated to influence public perceptions and potentially voter behavior, differing from direct vote manipulation by tampering with votes or election machines.