Google said on Wednesday that political advertising will be banned on its platform. In the run-up to Philippine elections in May, next year to determine a successor to President Rodrigo Duterte.

The decision comes as social media companies face scrutiny over their handling of political advertising during the 2020 presidential election in the United States.

In the Southeast Asian nation, social media platforms have become political battlegrounds, with surveys revealing that Filipinos spend the most time on social media.

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Google said in an update to its political content policy that election advertisements that promote or oppose any political party or the candidacy of any person or party for public office, would not be allowed to run from Feb. 8 to May 9, 2022,

The dates cover the period of campaigning in the Philippines up to Election Day on May 9.

Google stated that affected advertisers would be notified of the policy change.

Google has previously prohibited political advertising on its platform, notably during Canada’s federal election in 2019 and a Singapore election in 2020.

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