The campaign materials of 2025 national and local candidates will now have to be made of biodegradable materials, the Commission on Elections said Wednesday.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body's en banc approved his earlier proposal on this matter.  

This means that candidates will be discouraged from using non-biodegradable campaign materials such as plastic and PVCs, producing noise pollution, and using up too much fuel during motorcades.

The new Committee on Sustainable Election to be chaired by Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. was tasked to come up with rules and penalties for this.

"Siya ang magda-draft ng mga policy direction patungkol sa kung papano isasakatuparan ng Comelec hindi lamang sa 2025, kung hindi sa mga susunod na halalan,” Garcia said.

“Our sense is, there has to be a sanction... We will see if it’s going to be workable that it’s part of the Certificate of Candidacy or if not, then it is a pledge that we will put up at the filing that you know, we’ll ask them to sign or it’s available for them to sign voluntarily,” Maceda said.

“In that sense also, call it a soft law... It will be enforced by what? By publicity and people will publicly see, does this candidate support this initiative by signing or not. That will also affect his environmental bona fides for the public,” the official added.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIFENCE, COCs

Meanwhile, Garcia said the Comelec would soon approve policies on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), "deepfake" technology, and the posting of Certificate of Candidacy (COC) and Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA).

Comelec: New voting machines to be tested in communities

He said the Comelec en banc referred his AI ban proposal to the Committees on Digital Transformation and Kontra Fake News chaired by Commissioner Nelson Celis.

The said panels will coordinate with the Commission's Education and Information, Law and Information and Technology departments,he said.

"Upang magkaroon tayo, makapaglinang tayo ng isang polisiya na ating ipapatupad, kung ban, regulation ng AI, lalong-lalo na ng deepfakes," Garcia said.

(So that we can craft a policy on whether we would ban or regulate AI especially deepfakes)

WATCH: New poll machine lets voters recast ballot

"Take note, kinikilala po natin, hindi naman po masama ang buong AI... kaya lang may ilang aspeto nito ang pwedeng magamit para magtanim ng disinformation, ng misinformation, fake news... yan po ang pinipigilan, nilalabanan ng Commission on Elections," he added.

(Take note, we recognize that AI is not bad. But there are aspects of it that can be used for disinformation, misinformation, fake news, which we want to stop)

The mandatory COC and CONA posting of all national and local candidates in the Comelec website will be tackled by the Commission en Banc in its Wednesday session.

With only a little over three months before the October 1-8 filing of COC by the would-be 2025 candidates, and amid the citizenship issue hounding Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, Garcia reiterated his earnest advice to Filipino voters to question the qualifications of an aspirant if they have doubts, particularly, on the issue of citizenship, voter's registration, age and literacy.

"Hindi lang po si Mayor Guo, pupwede po ninyong makwestyon kung sa inyong palagay ay hindi naman po eligible at wala naman po yung requirements na pine-prescribe ng batas natin... ang sabi po ng batas, any registered voter. Basta po, rehistradong botante kayo. Pwede kayong mag-file ng petition sa Commission on Elections," Garcia pointed out.

(Not only Mayor Guo but you can question anyone who you feel is not eligible. Any voter can do that)

MORE ABOUT ACMs

On Wednesday, Garcia personally demonstrated how a voter can use the automated counting machine (ACM) manufactured by Miru Systems Co. Ltd based in South Korea.

The customized ACM has "sealed" corners and openings and sports a darker ballot box. It will use "locally sourced" paper weighing 90 grams per meter.

The ACM based on its monitor, has the ability to process or read an accomplished ballot between 10-15 seconds.

A voter's ballot, once it entered the ACM, will be immediately read by an installed camera.

Comelec reports over 2.7-M voter's application processed

A photo of the accomplished ballot showing the voter's votes will be flashed on the screen for 20 seconds for a voter to see and check.

There will no longer be an option to change the contents of an accomplished ballot.

Only the voter can look or check the ballots. Any poll watcher who will try to intervene or get a screenshot of the accomplished ballot will be charged, Garcia stressed.

Once cast, an official receipt will be released by the machine, which the voter in turn, will personally drop to the attached container, which can only be opened once elections are over, and the Board of Election Inspectors will finally count the votes.

The ACM will also print eight copies of election returns which will  bear the name of recipients like major political party, name of the election watchdog and others.