Comelec gives LP, other late filers until June 30 to submit SOCEs

The Commission on Elections en banc has granted the Liberal Party's request and several similar petitions that they be allowed to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenses beyond the June 8 deadline set the Comelec long before the May 9 elections.

The LP and other parties and candidates  that have yet to submit their respective SOCEs have until June 30 to file their documents.

Those who voted to grant the extension were commissioners Arthur Lim, Al Parreño, Sheriff Abas, and Rowena Guanzon.

Those who voted to deny the request were Comelec chairman Andres Bautista, and commissioners Luie Guia and Christian Robert Lim.

Christian Robert Lim is the head of the Comelec campaign finance office that recommended the denial of the LP request.

Bautista, meanwhile, voted against the extension, but said late filing must be allowed, with corresponding penalties imposed on the candidates who failed to reach the deadline.

Candidates who failed to file their SOCEs last June 8 include LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas, the lone presidential candidate who did not submit, as well as 15 senators, 40 governors, and 115 representatives.

The figures do not include winners for municipal and city posts.

The extension also covers two other national political parties, including reelected Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada's Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Aksyon Demokratiko.

'Absurdity'

Republic Act No. 7166 states that non-filing of the said report will bar winning candidates from taking their elective posts.

It also provides that a political party's failure to do the same will impose the same consequence on winning candidates who ran under its ticket.

According to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, the commissioners who voted in favor of granting an extension noted the "absurdity of the result" if it is not allowed, since non-filing of the said report will bar winning candidates from taking their elective posts.

"'Yung ganoon karami ang hindi makakaupo simply because hindi nakapag-file ng kanilang SOCE, ang problema niyan, made-defeat mo essentially 'yung boses ng mga botante. Kasi binoto itong mga taong ito, tapos biglang hindi mo papaupuin simply because wala silang SOCE? 'Yun ang gusto nating iwasan," he told reporters.

The extension granted Thursday allows the acceptance of LP's SOCE, filed on Tuesday.

The outgoing administration's party nominated hundreds of winning national and local candidates in this year's elections.

These include Vice President-elect Leni Robredo and five senators-elect, namely:

• Senate President Franklin Drilon, whose individual SOCE was deemed not filed due to "formal defects";
• Joel Villanueva;
• Francis Pangilinan;
• Ralph Recto; and
• Leila de Lima.

Aside from the LP those who have yet to submit their SOCEs include LP standard bearer Mar Roxas, 15 senatorial candidates, 40 gubernatorial bets and 115 congresional candidates.

Two other national parties have also yet to file their SOCEs. They are former President Joseph Estrada's Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Aksyon Demokratiko. —NB, GMA News