Mar, LP seek more time in filing SOCE

MANILA, Philippines - Administration presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II and the Liberal Party (LP) yesterday sought a two-week extension to submit their statement of campaign contributions and expenditures (SOCE) before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Roxas’ spokesman Akbayan party-list Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez said a request for extension was sent to the Comelec “asking for an additional 14 days within which to complete the filing for Mar Roxas and the Liberal Party.”

The Comelec has deemed Roxas as a non-filer after failing to submit his SOCE despite an hour and a half extension of Wednesday’s deadline.

“The primary reason (for the request) is the voluminous number of receipts that have to be scanned and attached to the document, in compliance with the rules and in the interest of complete transparency,” Gutierrez said.

All of Roxas’ rivals for the presidency were able to meet the filing deadline.

Independent presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe was the biggest spender, with campaign expenditures amounting to P510.8 million.

Poe was followed by United Nationalist Alliance bet Vice President Jejomar Binay with P463.3 million; president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, P371.4 million and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, P74.6 million.

Roxas’ runningmate, vice president-elect Leni Robredo, was able to submit her SOCE on time.

Robredo, whose SOCE showed campaign expenditures totaling P418.6 million, spent the most among the vice presidential candidates.

Under election laws, candidates who fail to the submit their SOCES are slapped with fines ranging from P30,000 to P60,000. The erring candidate may also be perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body is studying Roxas’ request, but stressed that they want to strictly comply with the law.

“Certainly, there will be many factors to be taken into consideration, so there will be a lot of discussions on the specific grounds as justification for any sort of extension,” he said.

Apart from the LP, Jimenez reported that two other political parties have not complied with the SOCE requirement: the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) of re-elected Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Aksyon Demokratiko.

Leni fate hanging?

Meanwhile, Robredo may not be able to assume her post due to her political party’s failure to submit the required SOCE.

Robredo, who won by a slim margin against Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., ran under the LP in the general elections last May 9 elections.

Jimenez said the law provides that a winning candidate is not allowed to assume his post if he himself or his political party did not submit the SOCE.

“As you can imagine, that might have far reaching consequences,” Jimenez said.

He said the candidate has no liability if it’s the political party that failed to submit the SOCE.

“It would be the political party which is answerable to the candidate,” he said.

Jimenez said the impact of the LP’s failure to comply with the law is still being discussed by the seven-member commission.

‘Still premature’ 

Robredo’s election lawyer chided Jimenez for warning that his client may not be able to assume office because of her party’s failure to submit their SOCE.

Romulo Macalintal yesterday said while Jimenez was correct that winning candidates who fail to submit their SOCEs are not allowed to assume office without the reports, it was “too early” for him to say that.

“Vice President Leni Robredo will assume office on June 30, which is more than two weeks away. I believe there was a request for an extension on the part of the LP, so I think such statements are premature,” Macalintal told The STAR.

Drilon’s papers defective

LP winning senatorial candidate Franklin Drilon was also unable to fully comply with the SOCE filing.

Jimenez said Drilon’s papers have some formal defects because he did not follow the format in the filing of the SOCE.

“All of these questions as a general rule have been referred to the commission to make the decision,” Jimenez said.

The Comelec requires all candidates to file a SOCE to check who have overspent or who may be held liable for accepting illegal contributions.

“The point of SOCE is to check compliance with the campaign rules,” he said. – With Mayen Jaymalin