BOTH re-elected Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and his opponent Rep. Tomas Osmeña spent personal funds in their respective electoral bids.
Osmeña, whose Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) party is allied with the Liberal Party (LP) declare an election expense of P1.5 million. Rama, who is aligned with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) spent P1.2 million.
“UNA spent for the proclamation rally in Cebu City so they will liquidate it. They only spent for the local ID cards that we used,” said lawyer Jocelyn Pesquera of Team Rama.
Majority of the 47 Cebu City candidates who ran for local positions in the May 13 election filed their Statements of Election Contributions and Expenditures at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu City south district office yesterday.
Those who have yet to submit their SECE were Team Rama candidates Ronald Diola and Sylvan Jakosalem and five independent candidates.
Comelec Resolution 9616 promulgated on January 16, 2013 sets the deadline for SECE until 5 p.m. today.
The resolution precedes Comelec resolution 9476 handed down on June 22, 2012 which sets the June 12 deadline for the filing of SECEs.
Comelec Cebu City north district officer Dominic Ian Marigomen said they will continue to receive SECE’s today.
Of the P1.5 million he spent on his campaign, Osmeña spent the bulk on advertisements at P1.056 million.
No contributions
Others were campaign rally expenses at P243,030; printing of campaign materials at P75, 000; compensation of campaign staffs at P63, 000; travel expenses at P58,394.74; watchers at P14,000; and communication expenses at P3,141.37.
The outgoing congressman mentioned in his SECE that he spent personal funds in his campaign. No contributions came from their national party.
Osmeña’s wife, re-elected Councilor Margot Osmeña, also declared personal expenses of P0.5 million in her campaign.
The bulk of Rama’s expenses were spent on advertisements at P480,433, election watchers at P473, 600, political rallies at P77, 115 and printing of campaign materials at P60, 154.20.
Rama also spent P52,700.19 for travel, P50,000 for lawyers’s fees, P39,150 for compensation of their campaign staffs, P500 rent for campaign headquarters; P423 for communication and P130 for a photocopy of the list of voters. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac