The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has asked 27 government contractors to explain their campaign contributions to candidates during the 2022 national and local elections, its chief confirmed on Wednesday.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said the contractors have already been issued show cause orders to clarify their participation in the polls.
‘They have already been sent notices to explain. I think within the next two weeks, all of them will be summoned according to their respective schedules. That will start by next week,’ Garcia told reporters in an interview.
Garcia said the contractors have 10 days to file their affidavits and written responses.
According to the poll chief, a total of 21 candidates were listed as recipients of campaign contributions from 27 government contractors.
These include six senatorial candidates, five party-list groups, four congressional candidates, three governors, two vice governors, and one councilor.
He said the Comelec will not release the names of the candidates for now to avoid creating ‘tension.’
‘It’s better if the contractors respond first,’ Garcia added.
By November 21, the Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department will begin hearings on the contractors’ responses.
After this, the commission will issue show cause orders to the candidates-whether they won or lost-who received the contributions.
In an earlier interview, Garcia clarified that receiving a show cause order does not automatically mean wrongdoing.
‘We are still giving them the chance to respond. The candidates may have valid defenses.This is being done for purposes of transparency, and they should not be immediately judged as guilty,’ he said.
Under Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code, government contractors and suppliers are prohibited from making any contribution-directly or indirectly-to partisan political activities.
The same prohibition applies to financial institutions (except for legitimate loans), utilities, companies with government franchises or contracts, natural resource extractors, recipients of large government loans, publicly funded schools, civil service officials, members of the armed forces, and all foreigners or foreign corporations.
Both donors and recipients found guilty of violating the law face imprisonment of one to six years.
Garcia said the Comelec’s investigation into other forms of prohibited campaign contributions is also ongoing.