MANILA — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) condemned on Sunday the "inappropriate use" of the emergency cell broadcast system (ECBS) for political campaigns, saying it undermines the purpose of the system.

This, after reports that residents from a province allegedly received emergency alerts containing a local candidate's name for the upcoming May polls.

"This system is designed exclusively for issuing life-saving alerts during emergencies, such as earthquakes, typhoons, and other public safety threats. Utilizing it for political messages not only undermines its critical purpose but also risks desensitizing the public to genuine emergencies, potentially endangering lives," OCD said in a statement.

The agency said they have received multiple reports from residents that received ECBS alerts "that included political content urging them to vote for specific candidates."

"These messages, designed to mimic urgent emergency notifications, create confusion and may lead to complacency during real crises," it said.

In the OCD's statement, telco providers Globe Telecom and Smart Communications have confirmed that they "do not utilize the ECBS for non-emergency messages and have not sent any political campaign alerts."

"The misuse of this system for political gain is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We have referred this matter to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for appropriate investigation and action," it said.

Last April 3, 2025, residents from Masbate City reported that they received emergency alerts at around 10:45 a.m. but the alert contained a campaign message from allegedly from the political clan Kho and their allies.

Christian Zaragoza, a resident of Masbate City, shared that he and his officemates simultaneously received the alert on their 5 mobile phones with the sudden alert initially causing them to be alarmed.

However, it quickly turned to confusion and disbelief upon discovering that the message was not related to any emergency or disaster, but instead appeared to be a political campaign message.

“Biglang nag-worry kami kasi 'di ba ang emergency alerts ay ginagamit siya during disasters and calamities na for emergencies, nagtaka kami bakit nagagamit siya for election campaign," Zaragoza said.

The NTC has yet to release an official statement, but confirmed that the incident is currently under investigation. -- with a report from Aireen Perol, ABS-CBN News