Spotlight on campaign finance

The Philippines entered the election period for the May 2025 elections on Sunday, January 12. We at the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism are putting a spotlight on campaign finance.

Data we obtained from Nielsen Ad Intel shows significant spending even before candidacies were filed in October 2024. TV and radio ads worth at least P4 billion were aired by candidates from January to September 2024, based on published rate cards.

The amounts provided by Nielsen Ad Intel do not account for the discounts that may have been given to the candidates’ teams. But they also do not include the cost of producing the ads and other regular expenses such as the maintenance of their campaign offices and salaries of campaign staff.

For PCIJ, campaign finance is the most important aspect of any electoral exercise because how candidates fund their campaigns has implications beyond election day.

We invite you to read our reports and hope you can share them on your newspapers, websites, and social media pages. Click the link to access the files.

We also want to share the report that closes PCIJ’s series on AI accountability, produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.

PCIJ Editor-at-Large Karol Ilagan shows how advancements of technological innovations like ride-hailing and food delivery applications have far outpaced existing laws. Read to learn how app workers are pushing for their rights in courts and on the streets.

In case you missed it last month, we are also sharing PCIJ’s two-part series on the Kaliwa Dam. PCIJ Fellow Leilani Chavez’s investigative report on the controversial Kaliwa Dam project called attention to the dangerous possibility that an entire community could disappear.

Chavez also reported that the project is facing cost overruns and funding uncertainty as the government has yet to renegotiate the loan deal with China.

We invite you to follow PCIJ’s social media accounts to stay updated on our latest reports.

Maraming salamat!