EDITORIAL - Campaign expenditures

The incoming president has declared P623.2 million in campaign expenditures that he says he received from his party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, and “other sources.” The PFP, for its part, declared P272 million spent for the campaign of its standard bearer.

These were contained in the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures that were filed separately by the party and its winning standard bearer Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Based on his SOCE, Marcos did not use personal funds for his campaign and instead relied on party fund-raising and contributions.

The SOCEs were filed in time for the June 8 deadline set by the Commission on Elections, as required under the Omnibus Election Code. The Comelec set a campaign spending limit of P10 per registered voter for the national races, or around P674 million.

The Comelec refused to extend the 30-day deadline from election day for the filing of the SOCE, which is required before any winning candidate can assume the elective office. Failure to file a SOCE in two consecutive elections can lead to a candidate’s perpetual disqualification from holding public office whether by election or appointment.

Meeting the deadline for SOCE submission is not enough. Equally important is the Comelec’s capability to verify the accuracy of the statements. The laws and implementing rules governing the submission of SOCEs can also use amendment or tweaking to simplify compliance and promote greater transparency in identifying the sources of campaign expenditures.

The Omnibus Election Code provides detailed rules on the persons, businesses, organizations and special interests that are prohibited from contributing to election campaign kitties. But does the Comelec have the capability to determine if the provisions of the law are followed? Comelec officials themselves have cited the need to update the election code and implement electoral reforms. The incoming administration and 19th Congress must show the political will to support such reforms.