EDITORIAL - No empty threat

The Commission on Elections yesterday reminded candidates in the barangay polls, winners and losers alike, that they must file their statements of campaign contributions and expenditures by Nov. 27 or else they will face charges for violating election rules.

The same requirement is imposed on candidates for other elective positions. Will barangay candidates comply? If they look at the record of the Comelec in enforcing the rules, the village bets may submit their statements, but with little regard for accuracy. This has always been the case among candidates for any elective office, and no one seems to have been penalized for inadvertent omissions or outright lies in their official declarations. Candidates believe the Comelec has neither the will nor the capability to enforce campaign finance rules, limited as they are, and the poll body has done nothing to dispel the perception.

The village polls should provide a good opportunity for the Comelec to show that it intends to enforce the rules. The areas and constituencies per candidate are small so it should be easier to check actual campaign contributions and expenditures against the figures declared in the official statements. If discrepancies are detected, appropriate charges must be filed, starting with the most blatant cases.

This early, there are individuals and groups preparing for the general elections in 2016. Any effort by the Comelec to regulate campaign finance in the barangay elections can be repeated in the 2016 polls. If the warning of the Comelec about campaign finance statements from barangay candidates turns out to be an empty threat, the poll body can expect 2016 bets not to take the rules seriously. When the Comelec issues a warning, it should prove that it means business.