Philippine elections
Philippine elections

How much should candidates spend for campaigns? Netizens weigh in

Rappler.com

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How much should candidates spend for campaigns? Netizens weigh in
Are candidates spending too much, or not enough?

MANILA, Philippines – Are candidates spending too much on their campaigns, or not enough? And if something’s not right in the current system for campaign funding, what should be done about it?

These were the main questions posed on the Twitter conversation Rappler held Thursday, January 28, as part of its #PHVote campaign, and netizens had much to say. 

Let’s take a look at key moments during the conversation:

Netizens were split on whether spending P10 per voter was too much for a presidential candidate. Given roughly 54.4 million Filipinos across the country and overseas, that would amount to a P544-million spending limit.

To compute for a candidate’s spending limit, multiply the number of registered voters in their constituency by their authorized spending limit: 

  • Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates with support from a political party: P10/voter
  • Other candidates with support from a political party: P3/voter
  • Independent candidates: P5/voter
  • Political parties and party-list groups: P5/voter

All candidates are required to declare their finances through their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Under the Omnibus Election Code, election offenses like overspending can be penalized with imprisonment for 1 to 6 years, disqualification, and removal of right to vote.








Some were bothered by the idea that candidates could easily spend far more than they were supposed to, thanks to a legal loophole.




While some netizens deemed the spending limit too much, others stressed that the amount set by law is “unrealistic”, pushing candidates to cheat in their SOCEs and overspend before the official campaign period.

Some also discussed limiting the amount one donor could give to one candidate, though how that would implemented was a different story altogether. 



Netizens had interesting ideas for addressing the campaign overspending problem.




 

The issue of ensuring equal opportunity among all candidates, rich or poor, was also raised.



Finally, netizens were asked to give one word to describe how campaign overspending should be dealt with.


How about you? What are your thoughts on campaign spending? Let us know in the comments section below, or write about it on X! – Rappler.com 

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