3-term congressman is Batangas’ biggest spender in 2016 polls

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines (The Filipino Connection) – Three-term congressman and gubernatorial candidate Mark Llandro “Dong” Mendoza is the biggest spender in the May 2016 elections, outspending each of the 51 provincial candidates.

The statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) submitted to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) – Batangas showed that Mendoza spent P4,550,479.69 as his total campaign expense, all of which came from personal funds.

Mendoza, who ran but lost to Governor-elect Hermilando Mandanas in a five-way race for the province’s high post, also declared that he did not receive any contributions from the party and from any other person.

The said amount was much higher than the P988,331.15 he spent for his successful bid for his last term as the province’s fourth district representative in 2013.

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan’s Danilo Guste, a vice gubernatorial candidate, did not spend any single centavo for his campaign.

Former Vice Gov. Jose Antonio “Mark” Leviste, who also ran but lost for governor, was the second top spender behind Mendoza, listing a total of P4,469,601.79, where P4,030,000 came from contributions.

That also makes him the biggest spender among the losing candidates in the province.

Governor-elect Mandanas, who ran as an independent candidate spent P3,907,975.68 for his return trip to the capitol, receiving P2,105,055.68 contributions for his campaign.

Former AGAP Partylist Rep. spent P1,135,368.12 for his campaign, all from personal funds.

Mandanas’ cousin Marcos Mandanas did not file his SOCE within the prescribed June 30 deadline.

Mendoza’s runningmate and Vice Governor-elect Sofronio Manuel “Nas” Ona Jr. spent P4,178,470.69, outspending the other candidates Amado Carlos Bolilia IV and Maria Chona Dimayuga for the province’s second highest post.

Liberal Party bet Bolilia spent P1,434,415.76 for his campaign and Dimayuga, P628,023.55, both coming from personal pockets.

Ona received P2,133,200 for his campaign.

Elenita Ermita-Buhain, who won her second term as the province’s first district representative was the biggest spending candidate for congresswoman with P898,781.89, all coming from her personal purse.

Her opponent Valentino Lopez spent P601,399.36, none of which came from contributions.

Congressman-elect Raneo Abu spent P411,482.10 – all from personal funds – to win his second term as representative of the province’s second district.

Third district Rep. Maria Theresa Collantes, who ran unopposed, spent P125,474. Winning fourth district Rep. Lianda Bolilia spent P727,205.60.

Congressman-elect Mario Vittorio Mariño of the province’s newly formed fifth district or the lone district of Batangas City, spent P483,766.75 for his campaign.

His opponents, Danilo Berberabe spent P178,842. Former DOJ Secretary Hernando Perez, P760,967.54 while independent candidate Carlito Bisa incurred a total campaign expense of P27,455, making him the least spending candidate for a House seat.

Former City Administrator Felipe Baroja did not file a copy of his SOCE before the Comelec Provincial Office but he said he already submitted the same to the Comelec main office in Manila before the Comelec’s extended June 30 deadline.

Three-term Batangas Gov. and now congresswoman-elect Vilma Santos Recto spent P418,317 for her campaign as representative of the sixth district or the lone district of Lipa, all from personal funds.

The amount is comparatively less than the P3,783,000 she spent for her 2013 campaign as governor and the P3,616,512.25 personal funds she spent for the May 2010 elections.

Recto’s lone opponent Bernadette Sabili, wife of Mayor-elect Meynardo Sabili, spent P490,000, respectively, all coming from personal funds.

Losing candidate Lino Rustia was the biggest spender among provincial board member candidates. He spent P910,000 for his failed bid to occupy one of the two seats for the province’s third district, won by re-electionist board members Divina Balba and Alfredo Corona.

Among the winning board members, Arlina Magboo of the second district spent the most with P484,700 campaign expense.

Independent candidate Gerard Abreu of the second district was the least spender with a total expense of P47,950, all from his personal pocket. He lost to board members-elect Magboo and Wilson Rivera.

The Philippine election laws limit campaign spending of candidates from senatorial to local candidates to P3 per registered voter. Political parties, however, were allowed to spend an additional P5 per registered voter. Independent candidate were given the leeway to spend up to P5 per registered voter.

In an exclusive interview on July 4, Batangas provincial election supervisor lawyer Gloria Ramos- Petallo told The Filipino Connection that all of the candidates’ SOCEs have complied so far to the prescribed limits by Republic Act 7166 (or the Fair Election Act) on campaign expenses.

“Nobody was said to have overspent,” she says.

Section 14 of RA 7166 also mandated the submission of SOCEs “exactly 30 days after the election,” with penalties handed out to those missing the deadline or even not affixing their signatures in the submitted SOCEs.

This year’s Comelec deadline for filing SOCE was on June 8, however the commission’s en banc in a controversial ruling extended it to June 30, upon request of the Liberal Party.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s PDP-Laban Party said they will challenge the legality Comelec’s ruling before the Supreme Court.

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Marlon Alexander Luistro is the editor of The Filipino Connection, a regional partner of Philstar.com