Sen. Francis Escudero, through his counsel, defended the P30-million donation he received from a top flood control contractor for his 2022 Senate comeback bid.
Escudero submitted his response to the show-cause order issued against him by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) investigating the propriety of receiving a contractor’s money for his campaign.
‘We’re filing our submission early to respect the Comelec process. Our position is clear: the donation was legal, fully declared and follows long-standing practice,’ Escudero’s legal counsel Ramon Esguerra said.
‘The law is on our side, and we are confident the Comelec will find no fault,’ he added.
Escudero and his campaign donor Lawrence Lubiano of Centerways Construction and Development Inc. were summoned by the Comelec to explain their side for alleged violation of the election code.
The Omnibus Election Code prohibits government contractors from joining political partisan activities and donating money to candidates.
Escudero’s campaign donation was also the subject of an ethics complaint filed against him at the Senate by lawyer Eldrige Marvin Aceron.
Aceron alleged that Lubiano’s Centerways bagged 112 contracts worth P16.67 billion in Escudero’s turf Sorsogon from 2021 to 2025 as a result of the campaign donation. Escudero served as Sorsogon governor from 2019 to 2022.
Aceron also alleged that Centerways secured only 12 contracts worth P720 million in 2021, but this ‘escalated dramatically’ to P15.9 billion worth of contracts from 2022 to 2025, or after the P30-million donation to Escudero.
Escudero denied impropriety in accepting a personal donation given by a friend. Lubiano for his part said he donated the money in a personal capacity.