MANILA (Updated) -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) granted on Thursday the request of the Liberal Party (LP) and the group's standard-bearer in the May 9 polls, Manuel Roxas II, to extend the filing of their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (Soce) until June 30.
Voting 4-3, the Commission en banc decided to give those who failed to meet the June 8 deadline until the end of the month to file their Soce.
Those who voted for an extension are Commissioners Arthur Lim, Al Parreño, Sheriff Abas and Rowena Guanzon.
"Four voted for extension citing the absurdity of the results kung hindi sya maeextend. That the law never intended for the results to be so well so absurd. You have to understand medyo malaki ang maapektuhan ng rule na ito kapag natuloy s'ya," said Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez in an interview several minutes after the seven-man panel made the decision.
Set to benefit from the extension are at least five senators, 115 congressmen and 40 governors and other local candidates.
"The problem (in not extending the deadline) is it will essentially defeat the voice of the voters who voted for certain candidates but will not be allowed to assume office simply because they have no Soces. That is what we want to avoid," he added.
Jimenez said that no fine will be charged against the winning and losing candidates as well as political parties since the deadline has been extended.
Failure to assume the posts is aside from the administrative fines that they will have to pay, ranging from P10,000 to P30,000 for the first offense, and P20,000 to P60,000 for the second offense depending on the elective position concerned.
The en banc decision did not support the recommendation of Campaign Finance Office (CFO) head Commissioner Christian Robert Lim to deny the request.
"After careful deliberation on the said request, the CFO respectfully recommends the denial of the request for extension of time," said the CFO chief in his recommendation issued on Wednesday.
Aside from Lim, those who voted not to grant the request are Comelec Chairman Juan Andres Bautista and Commissioner Luie Guia.
Section 14 of Republic Act 7166 states that if the political party, which nominated the winning candidate, fails to file the Soce, he/she cannot enter the duties of his post.
Lim also cited the provision of the law on the 30-day period given to candidates to file their Soce as a clear deadline set by Republic Act 7166.
"In Section 14, there is no delegated authority from Congress for the Commission to fix the period to file the Soce... Any extension given by the Commission is tantamount to an amendment of RA 7166," he noted.
The Commissioner-in-charge of the CFO added, "The 'final and non-extendible' nature of the 08 June 2016 deadline has been emphasized in the second paragraph of Section 2, Rule 10 of the Omnibus Rules on Campaign Finance..."
Lim noted that except for Roxas all the presidential and vice presidential candidates were able to meet the deadline regardless of voluminous nature of their submissions.
He also mentioned presidential candidate and outgoing Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who was able to meet the deadline despite her medical condition.
"It is worthy to note that even Presidential Candidate and incumbent Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was able to comply with the submission of her SOCE through her representative on 08 June 2016, despite on medical leave and her confinement in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Makati Medical Center a few days before the deadline," Lim said.
Six days after the June 8 deadline, the LP submitted its SOCE declaring having an even amount of contributions and expenditures amounting to P241,097,372.73.
The camp of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte blasted the Comelec ruling.
Incoming Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez, secretary-general of Duterte's party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), said some members of the poll body were obviously doing all the possible tactics to accommodate LP and Roxas.
"Comelec is simply bending their own rules for accommodation. Too bad," said Alvarez.
Alvarez, the presumptive House Speaker in the 17th Congress, said election law clearly states that all candidates should submit their respective SOCEs within 30 days after elections.
Abakada Party-list Representative Jonathan de la Cruz, chief campaign adviser of defeated vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said the Comelec en banc's decision is a "clear lambasting not only of the existing law but the electoral system itself."
"What is the reason [for giving an extension]. Kita naman talaga ang kanilang motibo eh. If nagagawa nilang babuyin yung strict election laws, paano pa kaya yung simpleng batas lang," said de la Cruz.
Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Ridon said that the Comelec is giving "VIP treatment" for both Roxas and his party.
"Mabigat yung desisiyon kasi malinaw sa batas 30 days lang ang palugit. The Comelec is clearly back-bending for both LP and Mar Roxas," said Ridon.
Isabela Representative Rodolfo Albano III said the decision of Comelec en banc "only shows their ignorance of the law."
"Hindi klaro sa kanila kung ano yung batas… wala kasi silang powers to enforce," said Albano.
Albano believed that the poll body's decision to extend the filing of Soce will be reversed once it is brought up to the Supreme Court. (PNA/FP/John Carlo Cahinhinan/Sunnex)