THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tweaked its rules governing surveys conducted during the campaign period for the May 12 elections.

The commission en banc on Thursday came out with supplemental Resolution 11117, providing additional guidelines provided under Republic Act 9006, or the Fair Elections Act, as implemented by Comelec Resolution 11086.

Under Resolution 11117, the commission en banc requires any person, whether natural or juridical, candidate or organization that conducts and publicly disseminates an election to register with the Political and Affairs Department (PFAD) of the commission.

"Only preregistered entities shall be authorized to conduct and publicly disseminate election surveys. Provided, however, that this requirement shall be applied prospectively," the resolution read.

Survey firms that have been conducting and disseminating election surveys prior to the publication of Resolution 11117 have 15 days from the date of effectivity to complete their registration with the PFAD.

Firms who fail to register within the prescribed period will have their authority to conduct and publish election surveys suspended.

Polling companies or any entity conducting election surveys must also submit a comprehensive report to the Comelec, through PFAD, within five days from the public of the survey.

The report must include details on where the results were published and all other information required under Section 26 of Resolution 9615 and Resolution 9674, to include, if applicable, the total amount spent by candidates.

According to the Comelec, the information will be used to verify a candidate's reported expenses in the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.

The PFAD will verify and monitor election survey data to ensure the authenticity and reliability of the survey results.

Under the supplemental guidelines, broadcast media providers are also directed to only publish election surveys that contain the name of the entity which conducted the survey along with the names of the person, candidate, party or organization that commissioned or paid for the survey, if any.

The requirement also applies to survey firms publishing their materials through social media platforms.

To promote transparency and public trust in the conduct of election surveys, the Comelec said all disclosures and comprehensive reports required shall be published on its website.

In cases where certain details involve sensitive personal information or legally protected data, Comelec may publish a redacted version of the reports while ensuring compliance with data privacy and election laws.

Survey firms, editors-in-chief and owners of survey firms will be held criminally liable for publishing surveys without the required disclosures.

The Comelec said Resolution 1117 will take effect five days after its publication in two daily newspapers of general circulation.