Fake Posts About ‘Covid Vaccine Requirement For Voters’ Spread Ahead Of Philippines Poll

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok posts circulating ahead of the Philippine elections on May 9 claim that voters must present proof of a Covid vaccination or a negative coronavirus test in order to vote. This is false: Voters only need to wear a face mask to vote, according to the country’s electoral agency, Comelec. The video featured in the posts, viewed more than a million times, shows an erroneous news report broadcast by the local broadcaster. TV5 which was later corrected.

the claim was shared on Facebook on April 27, 2022.

The post features a two-minute video with the logo for Frontline Tonight, a newscast produced by the local television network. TV5.

The clip is overlaid with text that reads: “NEW RULES FOR VOTING IN THE 2022 ELECTION / NO MASK NO FACE SHIELD NO VOTE / AND PRESENT YOUR IMMUNIZATION CARD / ISSUE DATE: JANUARY 27, 2022.”

The post title question: “How to vote???”

In the clip, a newscaster says: “Right now, Comelec still requires people to wear face masks and face shields in order to vote.

“Once you arrive at the polling place, you must present your vaccination card. Comelec requires you to be vaccinated before you can vote. But for the unvaccinated who still want to exercise their right to vote, they must bring their last RT-PCR test result and it must have come back negative.”

Comelec is an abbreviation for the Philippine Elections Commission, which oversees local polls.

The Philippine elections on May 9 are considered one of the more consistent in the country’s history, a potentially defining moment for the young democracy.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has a seemingly unassailable double-digit lead, gaining widespread support by forging alliances with several of the country’s rival political dynasties.

But his giant campaign has been fueled by social media misinformation. looking to rewrite history about his father’s brutal rule.

The video was viewed more than 1.7 million times on Facebook. here Y here; Twitter here; tik tok here; and youtube here.

Comments indicate that these posts misled social media users.

One asked: “You have so many rules. Why do you discriminate against the unvaccinated?”

Another said: “So you’re lenient during campaign rallies but make up these strict rules for election day?”

The claims in the video, however, are false.

“Voters are NOT required to wear a face shield or present a vaccination card or negative Covid-19 test result,” Comelec wrote on Facebook on May 3.

on a tv interview speaking to the ANC news channel a day earlier, Comelec commissioner George Garcia also said: “Number one, there is no need for an RT-PCR or a rapid antigen test, you are not required to get one.”

“Number two, you don’t need a vaccination card to vote. And number three, you don’t even need a face shield — just a face mask is fine.”

Garcia’s comments can be heard in the report. 36 seconds Frames.

He added that voters who show symptoms of covid will still be able to vote in an “isolation polling place” to be established by the electoral body.

erroneous report

Keyword searches on Google found that Frontline Tonight issued a correction to their January 27 report that was shared in the fake posts.

On his February 10 episodethe same presenter who submitted the erroneous report said: “A correction to our report from last January 27th.

“People will be able to vote in the May elections, whether they are vaccinated or not vaccinated. According to Comelec, voters do not need to show a negative swab test result. It is also not necessary to present a vaccination card before voting.

The erroneous report could no longer be found on the online accounts of News5, the news division of TV5.