LOCAL poll officials yesterday reminded all candidates in the May 14 elections to file their statement of electoral contributions and expenditures before the June 13 deadline, or risk losing the positions to which they were elected.
Even the candidates who lost in the election are required to submit the complete list of the contributions they received and their expenses, Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 Regional Attorney Lionel Castillano said.
Under Comelec Resolution 7794, official candidates of political parties are allowed to spend only P3 for every voter registered in the constituency where they filed their certificate of candidacy.
Independent candidates, party-list groups and political parties, on the other hand, are allowed to spend P5 for every registered voter.
“All those who filed their certificates of candidacy with their local poll offices are required by law to inform Comelec how much they received in contributions and how much they spent for the campaign. This is a requirement before the winning candidates can assume office,” Castillano said in a phone interview.
In Cebu City’s north district, congressional and council bets who are with a political party can spend only up to P628,338, while those running in the south district are allowed to spend only up to P754,596.
A total of 209,446 voters are registered in the north district while the south district has 251,532 registered voters.
City Election Officer for the North District Marchel Sarno said his office has already sent notices to the candidates for the filing of the statements, but no one has filed their election expenditures statement so far.
In the province, Castillano said he also notified all election officers in the towns and cities about the deadline for the filing, and for them to remind the candidates in their respective localities.
Section 17 of Resolution 7794 states that “no person elected to any public office shall enter upon the duties of his office until he has filed the statement of contributions and expenditures herein required.”
Candidates who fail to file reports in connection with the electoral contributions and expenditures will be liable to pay an administrative fine ranging from P1,000 to P30,000.
For the second or subsequent offense of the resolution, the administrative fine will range from P2,000 to P60,000. The offender shall also be subject to perpetual disqualification to hold public office. (LCR)
