Regular pre-election expense reporting a ‘big burden’ for Comelec

Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.: Welcoming. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Requiring candidates to submit regular pre-election expenses would be a “big burden” for the Commission on Elections (Comelec), its chairman, Sixto Brillantes Jr., said Friday.

“It would be a good thing but it will be a big burden for us,” Brillantes told reporters.

The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has recommended that the Comelec make candidates submit regular expense reports during the campaign period to track how much each bet is spending.

The current process requires candidates to submit their expense reports within 30 days after elections.

“The law requires only post-election submission. We already have problems with post-election submission and they want [candidates] to submit pre-election? We will be buried under the amount of work,” he said.

Namfrel chairperson Corazon dela Paz Bernardo said in a forum Wednesday that regular submission of statements at least every two weeks by the candidate will ensure their reports are truthful.

Bernardo, a certified public accountant, believes that “the campaign finance side is what causes a lot of the corruption.”

“When candidates spend so much, they want to recover and that causes a lot of the issues and problems of corruption,” she said.

Brillantes however turned down the recommendation saying, “Hindi naman talaga makakatulong, makakaabala pa.”