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MANILA (UPDATE) — Family members of Philippine ambassadors should be given training against engaging in partisan political activity, an official said Tuesday, after the wife of an envoy was filmed campaigning for presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

"My suggestion is orientation for all the spouses or the families joining the respective officials who would be representing the country. You represent the country. You are not there on your personal visit," Civil Service Commissioner Aileen Lizada said on ANC's "Rundown."

While the wife of the Philippine envoy is not covered by civil service rules, it has to be determined if she used his influence to campaign for Marcos before the Filipino community in Riyadh.

"The question to be asked is if you are not married to a certain official, would you have had the opportunity to address the crowd?" Lizada said.

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Under Commission on Elections and CSC Joint Circular No. 001, series of 2016, electioneering and partisan political activity refers to any act “designed to promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate/candidates or party/parties to public office.”

These include the following prohibited activities:

• Forming organizations, associations, clubs, committees, or other groups of persons for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign for or against a candidate/party;

• Holding political caucuses, conferences, meetings, rallies, parades, or other similar assemblies for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign for or against a candidate/party;

• Making speeches, announcements, or commentaries, or holding interviews for or against the election of any candidate/party for public office;

• Publishing, displaying, or distributing campaign literature or materials designed to support or oppose the election of any candidate/party; or

• Directly or indirectly soliciting votes, pledges, or support for or against a candidate/party.

"If you wear your favorite colors, wala ho tayong problema dun. But if you put a name or the picture, you are indirectly being partisan already," Lizada said.

Those prohibited from engaging in any electioneering or partisan political activities are:

• Members of the civil service in all branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities, and agencies of the Philippine Government, including government-owned-or-controlled corporations with original charters, and state universities and colleges, whether their appointments are permanent, temporary, contractual, or even casual;

• Career officers holding political offices in an acting or officer in-charge capacity; and

• Uniformed and active members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

In the interview, Lizada also urged family members of Philippine ambassadors to be "more circumspect" with their statements.

This, after Alonto's wife was also filmed joking that Filipina "chicks" should flirt with their employers if they need to ask permission to vote in the 2022 polls.

"It shows how you look at and treat women. Hindi ho tama, hindi ho tayo dapat sinasabihan ng ganiyan especially ng kapuwa natin babae," Lizada said.

"Let us be more circumspect and abundance of caution on how we say things because your spouse represents our country abroad."

The Commission on Elections, meanwhile, said it has already reached out to the CSC and the Department of Interior and Local Government to clarify the rules governing appointed government officials or their family members campaigning for candidates in the election.

"Comelec is taking the initiative to reach out to the Civil Service Commission and hopefully to the Department of Interior and Local Government to clarify these rules mayroon kasi tayong memorandum circular but that’s dated 2016 pa so it needs a little updating especially there’s a whole lot of other issues this initiative is unrelated to the episode with the ambassador. I understand but it seems to fall within the same general category so we can get more clarity on that once we sit down with our counterparts in the CSC and hopefully the DILG," spokesperson James Jimenez said.

- with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News