6 Senate winners fail to report expenses

Paterno R. Esmaquel II

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Only 21 out of 33 senatorial bets submit their Statements of Election Contributions and Expenditures to the Comelec

MANILA, Philippines – Six winners in last month’s senatorial elections failed to meet the deadline for submitting their Statements of Election Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday, May 13.

The Comelec set 5 pm, Thursday, as the deadline for submitting the SOCE. Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr, however, said the poll body will be open until 8 pm for submissions due to bad weather. 

The Comelec will decide whether to fine those who failed to submit by 5 pm.

Commissioner Christian Lim, who leads the monitoring of campaign finance, has said that those who fail to submit their SOCE can’t assume office.

The winners who failed to meet the Comelec’s deadline on Thursday were:

  1. Loren Legarda

  2. Alan Peter Cayetano

  3. Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero

  4. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara

  5. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito

  6. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II

Only 21 out of 33 senatorial candidates, or 63.6% of the total, submitted their SOCEs on time. The following met the Comelec’s deadline on the following dates:

  1. Christian Señeres – June 11

  2. Ramon Montaño – June 11

  3. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV – June 11

  4. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay – June 12

  5. Ramon Magsaysay Jr – June 12

  6. Mary Grace Poe – June 12

  7. Juan Ponce Enrile Jr – June 12

  8. Samson Alcantara – June 13

  9. John Carlos delos Reyes – June 13

  10. Baldomero Falcone – June 13

  11. Richard Gordon – June 13

  12. Edward Hagedorn – June 13

  13. Jamby Madrigal – June 13

  14. Cynthia Villar – June 13

  15. Greco Belgica – June 13

  16. Margarita Cojuangco – June 13

  17. Aquilino Pimentel III – June 13

  18. Ernesto Maceda – June 13

  19. Antonio Trillanes IV – June 13

  20. Maria Milagros Magsaysay – June 13

  21. Ricardo Penson – June 13 

‪The Comelec said among political parties, 6 met the deadline. They are:

  1. United Nationalist Alliance
  2. Nacionalista Party
  3. Lakas-CMD
  4. PDP-Laban
  5. Social Justice Society
  6. Liberal Party

The Comelec has disclosed an initial list of SOCE submissions, and is expected to publicize the final list soon.

The SOCE is meant to disclose how much contributions a candidate got, and how much he or she spent, and if the amounts comply with campaign spending cap prescribed in the election law, which election players say is outdated.

Republic Act 7166, or the Synchronized National and Local Elections Law, allows presidential and vice presidential candidates to spend up to P10 per voter. It allows their political parties to spend P5 per voter.

The law allows other candidates to spend P3 per voter. In addition to this, the political party in the candidate’s constituency may spend up to P5 per voter. Independent bets may spend P5 per voter.

The SOCE also shows who contributed to a candidate’s campaign, which the Bureau of Internal Revenue initially planned to use as guide on which contributors should be checked for inconsistencies in tax declarations. – Rappler.com

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Paterno R. Esmaquel II

Paterno R. Esmaquel II, news editor of Rappler, specializes in covering religion and foreign affairs. He finished MA Journalism in Ateneo and MSc Asian Studies (Religions in Plural Societies) at RSIS, Singapore. For story ideas or feedback, email pat.esmaquel@rappler.com