DUMAGUETE CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Negros Island Region (NIR) has called on the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and other concerned agencies to work closely with the media in combating misinformation and disinformation ahead of the upcoming elections.

Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano emphasized this during an interview on Tuesday, echoing the earlier directive of Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia during a command conference at Camp Aguinaldo.

“I am reiterating the call of Chairperson Garcia for our security agencies to actively counter misinformation by being accessible to the media and by sharing accurate information through their official social media platforms,” Castillano said.

He warned that disinformation poses a serious threat to the electoral process and could undermine public trust in the May 12 election results, ultimately harming the country's democratic institutions.

Castillano acknowledged that this year’s electoral process is designed to be highly transparent.

However, he noted that some candidates and sectors have raised concerns about the credibility of the automated election system, claiming that vote-counting machines could be vulnerable to hacking.

At a meeting of the Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) held Monday at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, Castillano urged security forces to actively provide the media with accurate and timely election-related updates.

“I entrust you with the security aspects, as you are the experts in this field. However, through your designated spokespersons from the various commands, I implore you to make yourselves available to the media, both during and leading up to the elections, to reassure the public that our democratic and electoral processes are functioning effectively,” he said.

“You are the experts when it comes to ensuring security,” he told the agencies. “But I urge you—through your official spokespersons—to be available to the media before and during the elections. This helps assure the public that our electoral and democratic systems are functioning well.”

He clarified that information suitable for public release includes incidents before, during, and after the election, as well as updates on crimes, security issues, and violations such as the Comelec gun ban and other election-related rules.

Castillano also underscored the importance of sharing non-sensitive information, such as statistics, when appropriate. He encouraged the police, military, and other relevant agencies to disseminate this data through their designated information officers or their official social media pages.