2013 bets can file SOCEs until June 30 – Comelec

MANILA, Philippines - Candidates in the 2013 polls have until June 30 to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE).

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. yesterday said a candidate who fails to file the SOCE for 2010 and 2013 would not be able to run in 2016.

“There will be no extension,” he said. “The deadline was supposed to be May 12, but we heeded their requests for an extension. So, the deadline now is June 30.”

Brillantes said candidates must make sure that their SOCEs are in prescribed format and compliant with all the requirements, like official receipts.

Otherwise, it will be like they did not file their SOCE at all, he added.

Brillantes said after the deadline, the Comelec’s Campaign Finance Unit will come up with a list of candidates who did not file SOCEs in the 2010 and 2013 elections.

“As a policy, if you already have two violations – 2010 and 2013 – you are no longer qualified to run in the 2016 elections,” he said. “We will be coming up with a list of these candidates.” 

The prohibition is contained in Section 4, Rule 8 of Comelec Resolution No. 9476: “The offender shall be subject to perpetual disqualification to hold public office.”

Brillantes denied that the Comelec is singling out Sen. Jinggoy Estrada in its investigation of candidates who overspent in last year’s elections.

“Yes, we are investigating him, but not only him,” he said. 

“All of the 33 senatorial candidates, including the congressional, local and others are being investigated.”

They are looking into all the SOCEs to determine who violated the campaign spending limits, Brillantes said.