EDITORIAL - SOCE filing time

After the casting of ballots comes the counting – not just of the votes, but also of the campaign funds.

The Commission on Elections is reminding all candidates in the just concluded polls – winners and losers alike – to submit the required Statement of Contributions and Expenditures. The period for filing SOCEs began on May 13 and ends on June 11.

Winning candidates, including party-list representatives, cannot assume office unless they have submitted their SOCEs. Republic Act 7166, the Synchronized Elections Law of 1991, imposes fines ranging from P1,000 to P60,000 depending on the gravity of the violation, but the heaviest penalty is perpetual disqualification from public office.

Because of the reasons cited by those who did not file their SOCEs in previous elections, the Comelec is stressing that candidates must file the statements even if they dropped out of the race, did not accept donations, financed their own campaign or did not spend anything.

Under new Comelec rules, social media influencers, celebrities and content creators who endorsed candidates and party-list groups – except those related to the candidate by blood or marriage up to the second degree – are considered to be paid contractors, whose fees must be declared in the SOCE.

The question has always been the capability of the Comelec to verify the accuracy of SOCEs, especially with the widespread use of social media for campaigning.

Questions have also been raised on the proper enforcement of the rules. In the 2016 general elections, 95 candidates who had been perpetually disqualified from public office for failure to file their SOCEs in previous polls were allowed to run. After the 2016 elections, 3,937 candidates also failed to file their SOCEs.

Campaign finance has been one of the biggest sources of corruption and money laundering in this country. Campaign donors cash in their chips by securing sweetheart deals or appointments to government posts even for the underqualified, or getting roads and other public infrastructure that benefit their private businesses.

It says a lot that every Congress since the restoration of democracy in 1986 has resisted proposals for dramatic campaign finance reforms.

Within this restricted environment, the Comelec is pursuing the SOCE requirement as mandated by law. It must show that the law can be properly enforced.