Comelec personnel take down oversized and illegally campaign posters in Cebu City on Monday, April 8, in line with the provincial-wide simultaneous Oplan Baklas./ Photos contributed by Comelec Election Asst. Omar Sharif Mamalinta
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two weeks after the midterm polls, the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) still awaits the submission of the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) of political candidates who ran during the May 13, 2019 elections.
Acting Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) Jerome Brillantes said all candidates, whether they won or not, are required to submit their accomplished SOCEs to the election officers of their towns on or before June 12.
READ: Win or lose, candidates should submit Soce on or before June 12
Provincial candidates or those who ran for governor, vice governor, district board members, and congressional representatives are required to submit their SOCEs at the provincial Comelec office located inside the Capitol compound.
Both outgoing Governor Hilario Davide III and Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said their accounting personnel are still processing the documentation of their expenses.
“We are still processing because they are several documents which need to be signed and then the sponsors will still have to sign,” Magpale said in an interview on Monday, May 27.
Davide and Magpale said they will submit their SOCEs in time for the deadline set by the Comelec.
The SOCE accounts for expenses incurred by the candidates, either personal funds or donated by supporters and their party, through media advertisements, campaign posters, and other campaign collaterals.
Brillantes, in earlier interviews, said a candidate’s failure to submit his SOCE would merit a Comelec Law Department- initiated case for disqualification from running for public office again.
Meanwhile, those who overspent for their campaigns will also face certain sanctions.
Each candidate, who belonged to a political party, is allowed to spend P3 for every registered voter covered by the position he/she is running for while those who ran as independent candidates were allowed to spend P5 per voter. / celr