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Here's a list of things the public can watch out for when scrutinizing candidates' SOCEs, especially when the Comelec's digital SOCE platform rolls out
On Thursday, July 3, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) soft-launched its web platform that would host candidates’ Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs), and asked the public for its support in evaluating them.
Project SURI (Siyasatin, Unawain, Resolbahin, at Ipanagot) is currently being designed to digitize and simplify candidates’ submission of their SOCEs, and increase transparency for the public wanting to view these. It is not online yet, but the Comelec aims to have it up and running for the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections on October 13.
In the soft launch, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in an interview with reporters that the public now has the “obligation” to review these. For now, without the platform, the SOCEs of national candidates of the 2025 midterm elections are posted on the Comelec’s website, though these only include the first page and have no list of contributors as of posting.
When the web app is up and running, what are things the Filipino public can watch out for to ensure that candidates’ campaigns were clean and complied with the rules?
Comelec Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD) information officer Leo Lim told Rappler that a reporting mechanism on Project SURI is “in the works.” Here are some things to consider when that rolls out.
Expense limits
Based on Comelec Resolution 10730, or the implementing rules of the Fair Elections Act, there is an aggregate amount that candidates may spend on their campaigns.
For candidates with political parties, it is P3 for every voter currently registered in the constituency where the candidate filed his or her certificate of candidacy.
Other candidates without a political party and without support from any political party have a higher limit of P5 for every registered voter in their constituency.
Political parties and party-list groups have an aggregate amount of P5 for every voter currently registered in the constituency or constituencies where it has official candidates.
These amounts change every year since the number of registered voters change as well. As a voter accessing the SOCE of a particular candidate or party, find a way to calculate the maximum amount they can spend, and check if they have gone over.
Media advertisement compliance
Candidates have limits on how much airtime they can buy for broadcast election propaganda, based on the Fair Elections Act rules.
National candidates have up to 120 minutes of television advertising on a per station basis, whether appearing on national, regional, local, free, or cable television. They also have up to 180 minutes of radio advertising, on a per station basis on national, regional, or local radio, whether by purchase or donation.
Local candidates, meanwhile, have up to 60 minutes of television advertising and up to 90 minutes for radio.
Broadcast media entities, as contractors, are also required to submit copies of their contracts for political advertisements. These should include broadcast logs and details with airtime.
In comparing the candidates’ and media entities’ reports, the public can cross-check whether all broadcast campaign materials were declared, and whether they followed the rules on allowable airtime.
Prohibited contributions
The Omnibus Election Code has rules which prevent candidates from receiving campaign contributions from certain sources.
Based on Section 95 of the code, the following cannot make contributions for any partisan political activity, directly or indirectly:
- Officials or employees in the civil service, or members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
- Foreigners and foreign corporations
- Public or private financial institutions, though candidates or political parties may take lawful loans
- Natural and juridical persons (individuals or companies) operating a public utility, or in possession of or exploiting the country’s natural resources
- Natural and juridical persons holding contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government with goods or services, or to perform construction
- Natural and juridical persons granted franchises, incentives, exemptions, allocations or similar privileges or concessions by the government
- Natural and juridical persons who have been granted loans more than P100,000 by the government within one year prior to the date of the election
- Educational institutions which have received publicly funded grants amounting to more than P100,000
Undeclared expenses
The Comelec relies on candidates to be honest in their SOCEs, but there is always the possibility of non-declaration.
One way of detecting this is by checking if a candidate’s known contractor disclosed their transactions with them. If, say, the candidate did not declare the production of a billboard ad, but the advertising company did in its report, then that would be an irregularity.
“Remember that contractors are required to submit. Unless the candidate tells them not to…. they would have to connive to do that,” said Lim.
This becomes difficult to monitor for smaller contractors that the public might not know about, much less expect to disclose transactions involving a candidate. This is where reporting comes in when voters have personal knowledge of a campaign expense that was not declared by either.
“If they can present proof that there was really a transaction that the candidate and contractor did not report….. then [we can make a case for] an election offense,” said Lim.
Missing SOCEs
Lim said that when Project SURI rolls out, it is expected to feature a search function, where voters may search for a candidate’s SOCE. If that candidate has not submitted their SOCE, the platform would indicate so.
One of the prerequisites for an elected candidate to assume office is their SOCE. – Rappler.com
