Comelec accepts Lim’s resignation as campaign finance office head

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) accepted yesterday the resignation of poll Commissioner Christian Robert Lim as head of the Comelec Campaign Finance Office (CFO). 

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista told reporters the commission met and decided to accept Lim’s resignation as CFO head.

Lim had resigned as head of the CFO after his proposal to reject the request of the Liberal Party (LP) for an extension of the filing of Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) was ignored by other Comelec commissioners.

“The en banc had accepted his resignation and we also expressed our gratitude to him for all the works that he has done in respect of the campaign finance. His resignation is immediately effective and irrevocable,” Bautista said.

The commission designated Comelec executive director Jose Tolentino as acting head of CFO, which is tasked to review the SOCEs to identify candidates and parties that overspent during the campaign. 

The Comelec, however, has no plan of reviewing its decision on LP’s request despite the flak they received from various sectors. 

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon meanwhile urged those who have not filed their SOCE to take advantage of the extended deadline until June 30. 

Guanzon claimed in a separate interview that all winning and losing bets and their parties are required to submit the documents. 

“You should file your SOCEs already since it has been extended. And there will be no further extension,” she added.

Meanwhile, former Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. yesterday supported the pronouncement of Lim that extending the deadline for filing of the SOCE is unlawful.

The former poll chief said that an extension requires the amendment of Republic Act 7166, the law that provides for the synchronization of the local and national polls and electoral reforms. 

But Brillantes claimed that the law allows the late filing with corresponding penalty. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to condoning those who do not comply with the SOCE requirements.

No plunderer

Brilliantes brushed aside the plunder charges filed against him at the Office of the Ombudsman over an alleged anomalous contract to refurbish the old precinct count optical scan machines. 

“That is an old issue. Plunderer? Not me,” said Brillantes, who was accused by former Negros Oriental congressman Jacinto Paras of stealing public funds and committing wholesale electronic fraud for awarding the contract to Smartmatic in January 2015 before he retired from Comelec.