The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the Philippines promulgated on 09 December 2021 the following Resolutions outlining the guidelines of the media/observers accreditation processes:
- Resolution No. 10739 (Guidelines for Mass Media Accreditation)
Media practitioners, whether foreign, local, or national media, applying for accreditation shall submit the following requirements to the Education and Information Department (EID) via online through https://bit.ly/2022NLEForeignMedia:
- A completed COMELEC Media Accreditation Form (CMAF);
- Two recent 1.5"x 1.5" colored photographs; and, where applicable, an endorsement from the publisher, editor-in-chief, assignment editor, station manager, or similar officer of the newspaper, television station, radio station, or online publication employing the applicant;
- An endorsement from the appropriate officer of the broadcast entity or film distributor which has committed to air/distribute the work; and
- In the case of freelancers, a valid assignment letter from the bona fide media organization for which the freelancer is on assignment.
- Resolution No. 10740 (Guidelines for the Accreditation of Domestic and International Observers/Monitors)
Filipino or foreign citizens, whether as individuals or in groups, whether representing governmental or private interests, who are interested to observe or monitor the conduct of the elections, shall submit the documentary requirements to the following offices via online through:
- Applications for accreditation of foreign and domestic observers with official addresses in the National Capital Region shall be filed at the COMELEC Education and Information Department (EID) via online through the following links:
For foreign observers: https://bit.ly/2022NLEForeignObserver
For domestic observers: https://bit.ly/DomesticMonitorObserver
- Applications for accreditation for domestic observers residing within the provinces in the region shall be filed personally or through an authorized representative at the Offices of the Regional Election Directors (OREDs) concerned. The prescribed application form for domestic observers is downloadable at the COMELEC website, www.comelec.gov.ph.
The documentary requirements are as follows:
- Completed application form for accreditation;
- Two recent 1.5" x 1.5" colored photographs of the applicant;
- If foreigner or foreign group, organization, committee or association organization, endorsement issued by the Ambassador or Consul of the applicant's home country; and
- Terms of Reference or similar document, explaining the purposes of the election observation mission.
All interested applicants / parties are advised to read the full text of COMELEC Resolution Nos. 10739 and 10740. The deadline for the filing of an application for accreditation is on 11 March 2022.
11 January 2022