MANILA, Philippines — Election watchdog Kontra Daya wants the Senate and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over his admission that he did not declare the campaign funds he received in his statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) to keep the identities of his donors secret.
“The poll body should take this seriously as the Comelec SOCE form appears to have not been truthfully filled out, based on Marcoleta’s own statement,” Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao said.
He said Marcoleta’s claim that he did not declare the campaign funds because some of his donor-friends preferred to remain anonymous was just an excuse to disregard transparency.
“As a lawyer, he should know better. As an elected senator, he should know what accountability means,” Arao pointed out.
He stressed the proper thing to do is for the Comelec and the Senate to conduct a probe and penalize Marcoleta for violating the law.
Kontra Daya is considering all options, including filing a case against Marcoleta.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said candidates are required to declare all campaign donations they received.
Garcia said the Comelec will look into Marcoleta’s admission that he did not declare campaign donations so he won’t be compelled to disclose the identities of his donors.
The filing of SOCE, Arao said, must be truthful and declaring “zero” contributions is an anomaly.