Hello. I am a concerned citizen of Brgy. 109-A, Tacloban City, Leyte and I am writing to report a TikTok video I recently came across that appears to show a photo of the official ballot for the 2025 National and Local Elections. The video was posted five days ago by the user @yhamz1223 on TikTok. For your reference, here is the link to that video: https://www.tiktok.com/@yhamz1223/photo/7503463197299510544. Additionally, to ensure availability in case the content is removed or made private, I have provided a downloadable copy here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hI-uIXGqhGb2BGO-o7m8YjHMfwKkI2C-?usp=sharing.

This may be a case of a potential breach of ballot secrecy which raises serious concerns regarding the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot. I believe this incident warrants verification and possible investigation by your office.

This concern aligns with Section 1 of Republic Act No. 9369, which amends RA 8436 and states:
“It is the policy of the State to ensure free, orderly, honest, peaceful, credible and informed elections, plebiscites, referenda, recall and other similar electoral exercises by improving on the election process and adopting systems, which shall involve the use of an automated election system that will ensure the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot and all election, consolidation and transmission documents in order that the process shall be transparent and credible and that the results shall be fast, accurate and reflective of the genuine will of the people. The State recognizes the mandate and authority of the Commission to prescribe adoption and use of the most suitable technology of demonstrated capability taking into account the situation prevailing in the area and the funds available for the purpose.”

In a bid to increase transparency in electoral finance reporting, the Comelec soft-launches Project SURI, a web app that hosts’ candidates Statements of Contributions and Expenditures. Watch the launch LIVE: https://www.youtube.com/live/FtM2eewB8HE

Hello, Christa. Do you know how I can access Project SURI? Thank you.

Hi @Eriberto T. ! Project SURI isn’t live yet, the event was just a showcase of the app. It’s expected to be operational by the upcoming BARMM parliamentary elections. For now, SOCEs of candidates for senator, political parties, and party-list groups from the 2025 midterm elections can be found here: https://comelec.gov.ph/?r=2025NLE/2025NLE_SOCE

Thank you @Michelle Abad. 😊

The Rappler team is here at the Comelec for the Comelec's post-election assessment with media, CSOs and other stakeholder groups who participated in the quick count for the May 2025 elections.

IMPROVING ELECTION RESULTS TRANSMISSION

Ongoing: Comelec chairman, commissioners, and tech people in a closed-door but no-holds-barred assessment of the 2025 election results transmission with the tech people and managers of media entities and election watchdogs.

Comelec chief George Garcia says from this discussion, the commission wants to know what improvements to make for the: 1) BARMM parliamentary elections in October (without violating the exercise being a continuation of the national & local elections; 2) 2028 presidential election.

Personally, I appreciate everyone’s expertise and openness. No blaming or finger-pointing, just objective discussion on the realities of tech and data and electoral processes. The people in this room are the ones journalists and analysts should talk to before amplifying speculations and conspiracy theories of some parties.

Kindly provide us with details of this meeting.

Hi Eriberto! Sorry just saw this. This was assessment session that the Comelec organized last week with various groups involved in the election transmission monitoring. Comelec presented their assessment and asked for feedback on how to improve the process.

REGISTER TO VOTE! 🗳️

Voter registration for the next barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections is open from August 1 to August 10. People may register at the nearest Comelec office or satellite registration site in their city or municipality.

These types of applications will be accepted:

✅ New registration

✅ Reactivation of registration record

✅ Change of name or status

✅ Correction of entries

✅ Transfer of overseas registration record to local

Application to transfer local registration records will NOT be accepted during this period. ❌

Got questions about voter registration? Drop a message for the Comelec here in the chat room!

Good day!

I will be in the United States from August 2025 to June 2027 to pursue my master’s degree. I would like to know how I can transfer my voter registration or register as an overseas voter so I can continue voting while abroad.

Thank you for your assistance.

LAST 2 DAYS TO REGISTER! 🗳️

Voter registration for the next barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections ends on Sunday, August 10. Register at the nearest Comelec office or satellite registration site in your city or municipality.

Got questions about voter registration? Drop a message for the Comelec here in the chat room!

At Malaybalay City COMELEC, maraming first-time registrants.

Due to a scheduled rotational power outage in Ganassi, Lanao del Sur, the Commission on Elections municipal office is using a gasoline generator to power the voters' registration process for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

Despite the blistering heat, youth are flocking to the municipal office to file their applications.

The deadline is August 10, 2025, as per the Commission on Elections. | via Abdul Hafiz Malawani/Rappler.

UPDATE: After the generator runs out of gasoline, the registration will continue tomorrow, August 10, 2025. | via Abdul Hafiz Malawani/Rappler

At 10:00 a.m. here in Malaybalay City, COMELEC released all printed forms. The prospective registrants were told to come back tomorrow. So sad. 😢

I realized that Chairperson Garcia was not in uniform. This reminded me about Senator Chiz Escudero wearing casual attire in one of the First Monday Convocation Programs/Flag Raising Ceremony of the Senate. While office uniform regulation is strictly enforced on the rank and file government employees, there exists a double standard (as always)! 😡

Hi! I am writing to express my deep concern and frustration regarding the voter registration process during its final day on August 10, 2025, at SM Caloocan. While I understand the need for order and crowd control, the manner in which the cut-off was implemented was both discouraging and unnecessarily restrictive to the very people COMELEC is tasked to serve.

Upon my arrival, I was informed that the cut-off had already been reached as early as 5:00 AM, with some individuals reportedly lining up as early as midnight or 3:00 AM just to secure a slot. This information was never officially or widely announced, leaving many citizens — myself included — to spend time, effort, and resources only to be turned away without being accommodated.

I later learned that the daily limit was set to around 700 applicants — a figure that had to cover all types of transactions, including:

• First-time voter registration
• Reactivation
• Correction of entries/change of name
• Inclusion/reinstatement
• Transfer from overseas to local
• Updating of records for PWDs, senior citizens, IPs, and other vulnerable sectors

While 700 might seem reasonable on paper, it is severely insufficient in practice. One barangay alone can easily exceed that number, and combining multiple types of applications into one small quota creates unnecessary competition among citizens for a basic right.

The Constitution guarantees our right to vote, but the current system for exercising that right feels more like a privilege for those who can afford to lose sleep, sacrifice work or school hours, and endure unreasonable waiting conditions. It is disheartening that instead of making voter registration more accessible, the process inadvertently excludes those who do not have the luxury of lining up in the middle of the night.

I'd like to know how the COMELEC there decided on this. Considering that it is conducted in a mall, they can enforce overtime to accommodate everyone, especially on this last day of registration. In our COMELEC here, the people have to line up even outside if their small office can no longer accommodate the excess. My daughter, who is a first-time registrant, got a queuing number 500 at 1:00 p.m. last Friday, but the COMELEC decided to work overtime until she got served at 8:30 p.m. I will post a picture of the people lining up outside the COMELEC here. So you see, how inconvenient it is to line up here, unlike inside a mall. Although they belong to the same government agency, it is more likely that the local head of office is given the freedom to decide on their own how they manage the specific situation they are facing.