785 bets may be disqualified over poll expense reports

MANILA, Philippines — Over 780 people who ran for local elective posts in the previous years are at risk of being permanently barred from running for any public office for failing to submit to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) their statements of contributions and expenses (SOCE) in two or more elections.

The Comelec’s campaign finance unit has made available on its website www.comelec.gov.ph a list bearing the names of 785 candidates in the past elections who did not report their campaign expenses following the 2007, 2010 and 2013 polling.

Majority of them ran for city or municipal and provincial and congressional elective positions.

In an interview with reporters on Monday, Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said those who filed their certificates of candidacy for the 2016 elections but whose names appeared on the list might be disqualified due to their repeated failure to file their SOCE.

“If they are on the list, they can be disqualified unless we get an order from the court [saying otherwise],” said Bautista.

Section 14 of Republic Act 7166 requires all candidates to file their “full, true and itemized” [SOCE] in connection with the election 30 days after election day.

Second-time offenders are subject to an administrative penalty ranging from P2,000 to P60,000, depending on the position they ran for, and would be perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The list showed that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) accounted for the highest number of election aspirants who perennially failed to file their campaign expenses since the 2007 balloting with 194.

In Calabarzon, 88 aspirants were found to have not submitted the documents twice since the 2007 elections and 70 individuals in the Cordillera Administrative Region failed to comply with the law.

Northern Mindanao also registered among the highest number of non-filers of SOCE with 67; Central Luzon, 60; Soccsksargen, 59; and the National Capital Region with 54 election candidates.

Among the prominent names that appeared on the list included former Caloocan City mayor Macario Asistio Jr., former Quezon City Rep. Ismael Mathay III and former ARMM Gov. Nur Misuari. Two members of the Ampatuan clan were also named on the list.

The document showed that Misuari failed to report his campaign expenses when he ran for provincial governor of Sulu in 2007 and 2010 and regional governor in the 2013 balloting.

Comelec records also revealed that Asistio did not submit the pertinent documents twice—in 2010 when he ran for city vice mayor and in 2013 when he vied for the mayoralty while Mathay failed to submit a report following the 2007 and 2010 balloting.

It also showed that Pandag Ampatuan failed to report his campaign expenses when he ran as member of the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao, in 2010 and as member of the sangguniang panlalawigan (provincial board) in 2013.

Abdullah Ampatuan, who was killed in July 2013, was also registered as a non-filer of SOCE in the 2010 and 2013 elections.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said cases against the 785 erring candidates would be filed before the commission.

“These are still up for filing of petitions for perpetual disqualification before the Office of the Secretary of the Commission,” he said.  SFM