Senate bet to rivals: Come clean on funds source

MANILA, Philippines - Senatorial aspirant Greco Belgica posed on Tuesday  a challenge to his competitors in the race to publicly reveal their sources of campaign funds.

Belgica, among the candidates who ranked 28th on Social Weather Stations', decried the apparent lack of transparency among politicians who may be suspected of using their Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel for their campaign expenses.

"Come clean and be transparent to the public ... erase all speculations that they are using their PDAF or pork barrel for the elections, we challenge everyone to reveal their sources," Belgica said in a statement.

The pork barrel distributed by the Budget Department to lawmakers is funding from taxpayers' money which should not be used for self-promotion, he added.

Belgica also said that even candidates' sources for donations should be known to people.

"This will put to light who they will be working for or protecting if they win as senator. If our motive is really clean, then there is nothing to be afraid of or there is no reason to hide anything," Belgica said.

He added that his team from the Democratic Party of the Philippines-Reporma Pilipinas has also created a website where senatorial bets can post such data.

Belgica is a former Manila councilor and finished a degree in International Trade and Commerce from the University of California-Berkeley.