2025 Midterm Elections Report Launch

We are delighted to invite you to the launch of Sigla Research Center’s latest research report on the evolution of influence operations and disinformation in the 2025 Philippine midterm elections, building on our previous studies of electoral influence operations from 2016, 2019, and 2022.

The launch will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 nn via Zoom. Representatives from academia, election monitors, media practitioners, civil society groups, and activists are invited to join the conversation.

The virtual session will open with remarks from Sigla’s Executive Director Jonathan Ong, who will address the importance of collective reflection on influence operations in the post-election period. Ross Tapsell, Associate Professor at the Australian National University, will subsequently provide a regional overview of influence operations, situating the Philippine experience within the broader Southeast Asian context.

The main highlight of the event will be the discussion of the report’s findings by lead presenters and co-authors, Ferdinand Sanchez II and Rowella Berizo, on the state of influence operations in the Philippines. They will deliver key insights on emerging personalities, platforms, and practices observed during the campaign period through election day.

Ronnie Holmes, President of Pulse Asia, will close the panel by discussing data on public perceptions and attitudes toward electoral influence operations as well as citizens’ responses to issues and narratives featured in Sigla’s report.

The program will conclude with an open dialogue and Q&A session on possible pathways for democratic action, with a summary by Sigla Research Center’s Managing Director Rossine Fallorina.

We look forward to seeing you online!