Comelec vows scrutiny on poll bets’ expenses / Lagman on CIF
>> Saturday, December 17, 2022
BEHIND
THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon
The Commission on Elections vowed intensified scrutiny on candidates’ expenses saying Section 13 of Republic Act 7166 states that presidential and vice-presidential candidates are only allowed to spend up to P10 per voter
The Commission on Elections said it is doing its best to maintain fair competition among candidates during elections amid reports of misuse of government assets mainly by political dynasties during the 2022 national and local elections.
According to Comelec campaign finance officer lawyer Anne Bernadette Mendiola, the poll body is strictly upholding the law stated in Republic Act 7166.
***
Section 13 of the said law states that presidential and vice-presidential candidates are only allowed to spend up to P10 per voter, and lower national positions under a political party and independent candidate up to P3 and P5 per voter, respectively.
Political parties are also allowed to spend up to P5 per voter in their respective constituencies.
But it is an open secret over the years in this country that poll candidates spend more than that.
Mendiola said that they have seen instances of overspending in some candidates, which the Comelec Campaign Finance Office responds through filing of criminal charges.
“We file a criminal complaint for violation of overspending. If approved by our Comelec Law Department, it will be recommended for filing at the Regional Trial Court to hear whether the candidate concerned has indeed violated the law. The candidate could go to jail and be disqualified in his or her position if deemed guilty,” Mendiola said.
***
She added that prohibition of spending public funds and government works are also implemented during the election season, but candidates could push through their local activities by filing a petition seeking a certificate of exception.
This comes after LENTE Philippines Abuse of State Resources Monitoring Project director lawyer Marisse Aldeza revealed that using government vehicles for campaign activities has been the most common form of election-related misuse of state assets, based on data gathered through the organization’s Abuse of State Resources Monitoring Program.
Aldeza said that misuse of government resources are primarily done by incumbents, mostly hailing from political dynasties, which constitute 80 percent for governors, 68 percent for vice governors, and 55 percent for mayors.
Commenting on campaign finance laws, Aldeza also said that policy loopholes such as the non-mandatory declaration of use of government resources in a candidate’s Statement of Contribution and Expenses and the physical presence of candidates in distributing aid to citizens are some loopholes seen in terms of misusing state resources for election activities.
***
The Office of the Vice President and Dept. of Education, both headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, do not need confidential and intelligence funds, which are “sources of corruption,” said Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Duterte, who is education chief in a concurrent capacity, had asked for a total of P650 million—P500 million for the OVP and P150 million for DepEd—in confidential funds next year, which both chambers of Congress approved recently.
But the veteran lawmaker, who is also president of the once-ruling Liberal Party (LP), opposed the existence of such funds for the OVP and DepEd.
“I have consistently and repeatedly opposed the appropriation of confidential and intelligence funds with respect to its propriety and magnitude, particularly in departments and agencies which do not need said funds like the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education,” he said in a statement.
“I have also stressed that said funds are sources of corruption as their utilization is shrouded in mystery and their audit is behind closed doors, solely between the auditor and the audited,” he added.
As these confidential funds passed the scrutiny of both Congress and Senate, Lagman lamented belonging to the “slim opposition,” because he “is invariably overwhelmed by the ascendant numerical superiority of the majority coalition, for which reason confidential and intelligence funds are institutionalized in the national budget”.
The confidential funds of both the OVP and DepEd, as well as the Office of the President’s (OP) P4.5-billion confidential and intelligence funds, are included in the P5.3-trillion national spending program for 2023.
***
In the Senate, only Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and Senator Risa Hontiveros attempted, but failed to block the lump-sum allocations by asking for their deletion and realignment.
According to the Commission on Audit (COA), confidential expenses as outlays on surveillance activities of civilian government agencies, while intelligence expenses are disbursements related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed, military personnel and intelligence practitioners.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte likewise requested and received P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, which he spent in its entirety during his last year in office.
In contrast, his predecessor, the late former president Benigno Aquino III, asked only for P500 million—P250 million as confidential funds and P250 million as intelligence funds.
Alfred P. Dizon
The Commission on Elections vowed intensified scrutiny on candidates’ expenses saying Section 13 of Republic Act 7166 states that presidential and vice-presidential candidates are only allowed to spend up to P10 per voter
The Commission on Elections said it is doing its best to maintain fair competition among candidates during elections amid reports of misuse of government assets mainly by political dynasties during the 2022 national and local elections.
According to Comelec campaign finance officer lawyer Anne Bernadette Mendiola, the poll body is strictly upholding the law stated in Republic Act 7166.
***
Section 13 of the said law states that presidential and vice-presidential candidates are only allowed to spend up to P10 per voter, and lower national positions under a political party and independent candidate up to P3 and P5 per voter, respectively.
Political parties are also allowed to spend up to P5 per voter in their respective constituencies.
But it is an open secret over the years in this country that poll candidates spend more than that.
Mendiola said that they have seen instances of overspending in some candidates, which the Comelec Campaign Finance Office responds through filing of criminal charges.
“We file a criminal complaint for violation of overspending. If approved by our Comelec Law Department, it will be recommended for filing at the Regional Trial Court to hear whether the candidate concerned has indeed violated the law. The candidate could go to jail and be disqualified in his or her position if deemed guilty,” Mendiola said.
***
She added that prohibition of spending public funds and government works are also implemented during the election season, but candidates could push through their local activities by filing a petition seeking a certificate of exception.
This comes after LENTE Philippines Abuse of State Resources Monitoring Project director lawyer Marisse Aldeza revealed that using government vehicles for campaign activities has been the most common form of election-related misuse of state assets, based on data gathered through the organization’s Abuse of State Resources Monitoring Program.
Aldeza said that misuse of government resources are primarily done by incumbents, mostly hailing from political dynasties, which constitute 80 percent for governors, 68 percent for vice governors, and 55 percent for mayors.
Commenting on campaign finance laws, Aldeza also said that policy loopholes such as the non-mandatory declaration of use of government resources in a candidate’s Statement of Contribution and Expenses and the physical presence of candidates in distributing aid to citizens are some loopholes seen in terms of misusing state resources for election activities.
***
The Office of the Vice President and Dept. of Education, both headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, do not need confidential and intelligence funds, which are “sources of corruption,” said Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Duterte, who is education chief in a concurrent capacity, had asked for a total of P650 million—P500 million for the OVP and P150 million for DepEd—in confidential funds next year, which both chambers of Congress approved recently.
But the veteran lawmaker, who is also president of the once-ruling Liberal Party (LP), opposed the existence of such funds for the OVP and DepEd.
“I have consistently and repeatedly opposed the appropriation of confidential and intelligence funds with respect to its propriety and magnitude, particularly in departments and agencies which do not need said funds like the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education,” he said in a statement.
“I have also stressed that said funds are sources of corruption as their utilization is shrouded in mystery and their audit is behind closed doors, solely between the auditor and the audited,” he added.
As these confidential funds passed the scrutiny of both Congress and Senate, Lagman lamented belonging to the “slim opposition,” because he “is invariably overwhelmed by the ascendant numerical superiority of the majority coalition, for which reason confidential and intelligence funds are institutionalized in the national budget”.
The confidential funds of both the OVP and DepEd, as well as the Office of the President’s (OP) P4.5-billion confidential and intelligence funds, are included in the P5.3-trillion national spending program for 2023.
***
In the Senate, only Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and Senator Risa Hontiveros attempted, but failed to block the lump-sum allocations by asking for their deletion and realignment.
According to the Commission on Audit (COA), confidential expenses as outlays on surveillance activities of civilian government agencies, while intelligence expenses are disbursements related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed, military personnel and intelligence practitioners.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte likewise requested and received P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, which he spent in its entirety during his last year in office.
In contrast, his predecessor, the late former president Benigno Aquino III, asked only for P500 million—P250 million as confidential funds and P250 million as intelligence funds.
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