MANILA, Philippines — Six months before the midterm elections in May, the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation – arguing that the existing 25-year old rates are no longer realistic – is pushing a bill that seeks to increase the campaign spending limits of candidates and political parties.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, committee chairman, said the measure, meant to encourage transparency in reporting campaign expenses, was recently approved for floor deliberations.
Under Senate Bill 2072, the aggregate amount that a candidate for president and vice president can spend for every voter will remain at P10.
The bill notes that although the amount is higher, it remains “conservative.”
Committee Report 497 showed that independent senatorial, party-list and other candidates may spend P6 to P8 per voter while candidates running under a political party or are being endorsed by political parties may spend P6 per voter.
It added that the existing cap of P5 for political parties has also been increased to P8 per voter.
Senators Francis Pangilinan, Richard Gordon, Grace Poe, Manny Pacquiao, Francis Escudero, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon signed the bill that Pimentel re-filed.
The proposed increases, according to Pimentel, are also meant to discourage overspending and ensure that all those participating in the poll exercise will be competing on equal footing with other candidates.
Senate Bill 2072 seeks to amend Section 13 of Republic Act 7166, or An Act Providing for Synchronized National and Local Elections and for Electoral Reforms, which provides the existing rates that Pimentel described as no longer realistic.
“For 25 years, the amounts limiting the expenses of candidates and political parties remained the same. Consequently, candidates had difficulty in trying to limit their spending in accordance with law because the prices of materials and their printing and reproduction, mass media advertisements (which are now allowed), transportation and other operational expenses have noticeably increased in the past two decades,” Pimentel pointed out. – With Paolo Romero