MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) did not disqualify Bayan Muna Party-List from the 2025 midterm elections, nor has it linked the group to terrorist activities.
Two days before the May 12 elections, multiple Facebook pages circulated edited images designed to look like news reports from reputable media outlets, including Philstar.com, to falsely claim that Bayan Muna was disqualified and any votes for the party will be “null and void.”
Some posts went beyond fake headlines, featuring fabricated Comelec resolutions and false statements attributed to election officials.
On May 10, Facebook page Terror Watch shared a fake statement designed to mimic Comelec’s official layout and format. It falsely quoted Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco saying:
“Comelec disqualifies Bayan Muna Partylist from the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections.”
The post also claims that Comelec found the group to be “directly supporting and involved in the terrorist activities” of the New People’s Army (NPA), the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).
Retired broadcaster Jay Sonza, who has repeatedly been fact-checked by news organizations for spreading false or misleading claims, also shared the same image on May 11. He captioned his now-deleted post:
“Tuloy-tuloy ang pagpupunyagi. AYUSIN NATIN ANG PILIPINAS Tampok na balita: COMELEC DISQUALIFIES BAYAN MUNA
(The efforts continue. LET’S FIX THE PHILIPPINES Featured news: COMELEC DISQUALIFIES BAYAN MUNA)”
RATING: This is false.
Facts
Comelec issued a statement on May 10 debunking the claims, saying Bayan Muna Party-List is not disqualified from the 2025 midterm elections and that it is still among the groups Filipinos could vote for on May 12.
“Walang nilabas na Resolution ang Commission En Banc na nagdidiskwalipika sa Bayan Muna Party-list ngayong halalan at sila ay OPISYAL PA RIN NA KABILANG SA LISTAHAN NG MGA PARTY-LIST GROUPS NA MAAARING IBOTO SA LUNES (May 12, 2025),” the poll body said.
(The Commission en banc did not issue any resolution disqualifying Bayan Muna Party-List in this election, and they are still officially included in the list of party-list groups that can be voted for on Monday.)
The poll body also reminded the public that spreading false information during the campaign period is an election offense under Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code, just as red-tagging has recently been recognized as an election offense.
Not only is the claim false, but it was backed by fabricated “news updates” and articles posing as reports from mainstream media, none of which appear on legitimate news outlets’ official websites or social media pages.
Philstar.com also did not publish or report on the false claims.
Kontra Baghak via Facebook / Philstar.com’s screenshot
Affected news organizations were quick to debunk the claims and label such posts as “fake” or “false” on their official pages on May 10 and 11.
Why we fact-checked this
The fabricated Comelec statements and resolutions have been shared widely across Facebook, reaching hundreds, if not thousands, of users. Similarly, posts containing fake article screenshots and news updates from mainstream media have also gained significant traction.
Before it was deleted, Sonza’s post garnered 581 reactions, 126 shares and 95 comments, with some users believing the false claim. Meanwhile, Terror Watch’s post amassed 2,300 shares, 1,000 reactions and 275 comments.
OneTV Philippines, which presents itself as a digital news network based in Davao City, shared the fabricated Comelec statement with nearly 900,000 Facebook followers. The post has since received 313 shares, 668 reactions and 245 comments.
North Central Luzon News Media also shared the same image with its over 400,000 followers on Facebook. The post has garnered 845 shares, 1,300 reactions and 336 comments.
Progressive groups like Bayan Muna, known for criticizing the government, have come under heightened red-tagging and disinformation attacks during the elections, in what appears to be a deliberate and coordinated attempt to discredit them.
Bayan Muna is seeking a comeback in the 2025 midterm elections, with former Rep. Neri Colmenares, former Rep. Carlos Zarate and labor leader Ferdinand Gaite as its top three nominees. The party-list, which was previously among the top-voted groups, lost in the 2022 elections amid a smear campaign that vilified it during the Duterte administration.
