Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila.
MANILA, Philippines — In an effort to unclog its dockets, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has simultaneously junked more than 1,000 cases of campaign overspending, including those still awaiting preliminary investigation or a resolution, in connection with the 2010 and 2013 elections.
In a memo provided to the media on Wednesday, the Comelec cited an earlier Supreme Court ruling that pointed to the poll body’s “inordinate delay” in resolving cases when it granted the petition of former Digos City Mayor Joseph Peñas to dismiss his overspending case. The high tribunal’s decision, which came out in February last year, reversed the Comelec ruling on the mayor’s case.
The poll body noted that the pending cases against candidates who had supposedly spent more than they were supposed to while campaigning were past the seven-year resolution period.
“It was emphasized that it took Comelec a total of six years from filing the formal complaint to recommend the filing of information against Peñas and thus, failing to abide by the period for resolving cases prescribed in its own rules,” it said in its memo, citing the Supreme Court ruling.
“Further, it was stressed that the case did not involve complex issues, and only required a simple computation and comparison of expenses,” it added.
The dismissed complaints were composed of 437 overspending cases in the 2010 national and local elections, and 489 overspending cases in the 2013 polls, all of which have yet to go through preliminary investigation; as well as 51 overspending cases and 47 motions for reconsideration in the 2010 and 2013 polls, respectively.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, no candidate should spend on their campaign more than the amount set by law.
Republic Act No. 7166 states that every candidate for president and vice president is allowed to spend P10 for each voter, while local candidates can spend P3 for every voter registered in the constituency where they filed their candidacy. Those found guilty may be imprisoned for one to six years, disqualified from holding public office and stripped of their right to vote.
During the poll body’s first press conference for the year, Comelec Chair George Garcia vowed to act on election-related cases that they “inherited” from previous officials.