THE May 2028 national and local elections will continue to use the automated election system (AES).
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will use the AES in all succeeding poll exercises as provided under the law.
"The Comelec abides by existing election laws and will continue to enforce them in the next and upcoming elections," it said in a statement.
The statement was issued amid claims made in the Facebook posts of Makhina Moto Vlog and Meljam DL, wherein Comelec Chairman George Garcia has been quoted as supposedly saying the May 2028 national and local polls will use the manual system of voting.
"The Facebook posts circulating by Makhina Moto Vlog and Meljam DL claiming that Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia has announced the promotion of manual counting for the National and Local Elections in 2028 to prevent fraud are fake news," said the Comelec.
"This Commission strongly clarifies that the information contained in the Facebook posts is untrue, was not said by Chairman Garcia, and is not from the Comelec," it added.
The poll body, then, urged the public to be critical and ensure that the information they read and share online is verified.
It also warned the public that disseminating false and alarming information is considered as an election offense under the Omnibus Election Code. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)