News update Enrile first senator to file poll-expense report at P143M

Reelected Senator Juan Ponce Enrile became the first senatorial candidate to file his statement of expenses and contributions report, showing he spent more than P143 million during the campaign period in this year's elections.

In a document he submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Enrile (of the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino) claimed to have spent P143,084,448 in campaign expenses — P137,188,666 in political advertisements and P5,895,782 in printed campaign materials.

GMANews.TV obtained a copy of the statement in which Enrile also said that P142 million of his campaign expenditures was supposedly paid for by several contributors, while he shouldered P1,084,443 of the expenses himself.

However, Enrile's report showed that his daughter contributed P8.5 million and his grandson Juan Rodrigo Ponce Enrile gave P1.5 million.

The document also indicated that the Jaka Group of companies and its affiliates, which are owned by the Enriles, contributed at least P74,216,000.

Other candidates

On the other hand, losing vice presidential bet Perfecto Yasay (Bangon Pilipinas) claimed to have only spent P1,902,688 during the campaign period — about P237,048 of which came from his pocket.

Defeated senatorial aspirant Rey Langit had also declared that he spent P8,220,000 during the campaign. But he noted in his statement of contributions and expenditures that 90 percent of the funds came from his party Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

On the other hand, party-list organizations also submitted their reports, with the Coconut Farmers Association spending P3,230,700; Cocofed Party-list Organization (P250,048); Workers and Peasants Party (P1,150,000); APO Party-list (P1,611,912); Alliance Transport Sector Party-list (P190,812); Abante Bicol (P3,244,185); the Alliance for Community Transformation and Service (P3,934,205); and Alagad Party-list (P2,000,175).

The Angat Ating Kabuhayan Pilipinas (ANAK) Party-list was the first party-list group to file an expenditure report with the Comelec.

The group said it spent P2.5 million during the campaign period.

Comelec rules

Comelec Resolution 8944 says that candidates for president and vice president with political parties are only allowed to spend P10 per voter while other candidates also with parties may spend P3 per voter. On the other hand, candidates without the support of political parties may spend P5 for every voter.

The Comelec said that candidates, political parties, and party-list groups have until June 9 to file a statement of all contributions and expenditures in the May elections.

Comelec Resolution 8944 also provides that failure to file the statement will prevent a person from assuming office, if he is elected. It added that failure to submit the document will constitute an administrative offense which is punishable by a fine ranging from P1,000 to P30,000 at the discretion of the Comelec.

Violation of the spending limit is also an election offense, which is punishable by disenfranchisement, disqualification from holding public office, and imprisonment from one to six years.

As of posting time, those who sought the presidency have yet to file their respective expenditures report. — LBG/RSJ
Primary election and election expense laws. Passed by thirty-second General assembly
Report of the Committee on Election Expenses: Studies in Canadian Party Finance
Report of the Committee on Election Expenses 66

News Update SC asked to stop destruction of defective CF cards

Three unsuccessful presidential candidates who are contesting the results of the recent elections have asked the Supreme Court to stop the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from destroying thousands of compact flash (CF) cards that were found defective.

The candidates were Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Nicanor Perlas, and JC de los Reyes, who filed an 11-page petition through lawyer Jose Aspiras with the Supreme Court on Monday.

In their petition, the three asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction against the implementation of Comelec Resolution 8914, which seeks to destroy the 76,000 CF cards and delete the final testing and sealing (FTS) data from the canvassing laptops used during the country’s first nationwide automated polls.

“Comelec’s justification for destroying the CF cards – that they may fall into the wrong hands – and for deleting the FTS data – the [Board of Election Inspectors] may just inadvertently transmit them as election results – does not outweigh the greater and more primordial right of the Filipino people to know if the P7-billion automated election system funded by their taxes really works or not," the petitioners said.

The assailed Comelec Resolution, promulgated on May 12, “require the Board of Canvassers to bring the [Consolidation and Canvassing System] laptop of the affected C/MBOC to Manila, and validate the correct election result for inclusion in the consolidation, deleting the FTS result from said C/MBOC, as well as in the Central, Backup and KBP servers."

The next day, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body has ordered the destruction of the CF cards that malfunctioned fear that these might get “into the wrong hands."

The petitioners, who questioned the alleged “indecent haste" with which the Comelec wants to destroy the CF cards and delete the FTS data, also asked the high court to direct the poll body to turn over custody said items to Congress in accordance with the automation law.

Petitioners further said that destroying the data in the CF cards and FTS would suppress vital evidence that the Congress oversight committee on poll automation would need if it were to carry out its mandate to review and assess the automated polls. - KBK