Outdated law led Comelec to overstep

Election observers from the European Union have urged the Philippines to fix its outdated and fragmented election code after finding the Commission on Elections "effectively created new rules" and contradicted existing laws through a flurry of new resolutions for the midterm polls.

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The EU mission found that the Comelec issued numerous resolutions that introduced "substantive changes" on critical issues, including online voting for overseas Filipinos, digital campaigning, artificial intelligence, and anti-discrimination measures. One resolution in February made sexist remarks an electoral offense, which led to at least one candidate's disqualification.

"This regulatory overreach arguably amounts to de facto lawmaking, bypassing the legislature," the European Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to the Philippines wrote in their final report released Thursday, July 3.