EVEN the Office of the Ombudsman and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) stand to benefit from the ongoing investigation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) into public works contractors that allegedly helped fund the campaigns of candidates in past elections.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they have shared several documents with the two agencies, which are also conducting separate investigations.
“Ang Office of the Ombudsman at ang Bureau of Internal Revenue ay humingi na sa amin ng ilang mga dokumento patungkol sa mga kontrata o patungkol sa pagbibigay ng mga donasyon sa mga kandidato, political parties at party-list organizations,” Garcia said.
The Ombudsman is currently preparing charges against those involved in allegedly anomalous flood control projects, while the BIR is conducting a tax fraud audit of contractors, public officials, and private individuals linked to corruption-ridden flood control projects.
Garcia added that the Comelec is also ready to share the results of its own probe with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), the body formed to investigate alleged irregularities in government flood control projects.
“Kami po ay magbibigay freely ng mga dokumentong ‘yan na hinihingi sa amin sapagkat ito po’y mga public records, public documents, lalo na po kapag sila ay mga ahensya ng pamahalaan na nagko-conduct din ng sariling investigation,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Comelec revealed that 27 contractors allegedly gave prohibited campaign contributions to candidates, party-list groups, and political parties during the May 2022 polls while maintaining existing contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Among them was Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., who reportedly contributed P30 million to Senator Francis Escudero’s 2022 senatorial campaign while his firm held several government contracts.
The Comelec has also sought DPWH certification for 31 contractors who may have made prohibited campaign contributions during the May 2025 elections. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)