In Leyte, expense statements show no bet spent more than P1M

TACLOBAN CITY—No candidate for high elective positions in Leyte province spent more than P1 million during the campaign for the May 9 elections, according to statements of contributions and expenditures (Soce) submitted to the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office.

The top spender was Violeta Codilla, who spent P774,116, according to the Soce she submitted to Comelec.

Codilla lost to Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez in the race for the House seat representing Leyte’s fourth district. Gomez, according to her Soce, spent P746,571 for her campaign.

The lowest spender is former appeals court justice Vicente Veloso who spent only P38,500 for his campaign. Veloso defeated Maria Victoria David in the third district congressional race.

David is daughter of outgoing Rep. Andres Salvacion, who has reached his third and last term.

Comelec rules limit the expenses of candidates running under a political party to P3 per voter. Independent candidates are allowed to spend P5 per voter.

According to lawyer Felicisimo Embalsado, assistant Comelec director for Eastern Visayas, said the regional Comelec office’s role in Soce is ministerial.

“We just accept their (candidates’) Soce,” he said.

Embalsado said the Comelec’s finance office goes through the documents. The office was headed by Commissioner Robert Lim, who quit in apparent protest against a Comelec en banc decision to extend the deadline for filing Soce for the Liberal Party.