Roxas, kin top contributors to LP campaign kitty, party’s SOCE shows

Mar Roxas is the top contributor to the Liberal Party's P240-million campaign kitty in the last elections, the statement of contributions and expenses the party submitted to the Commission on Elections showed.

In its list of contributors, a copy of which was obtained by GMA News, LP declared that it received a total of P241,097,372.73 in contributions, most of which came from non-members.

Roxas, however, led the contributors with total of P60,017,372.73 pitched in to the LP in three tranches. His first donation amounted to P40 million.

His mother, Judy Araneta-Roxas, the vice chairman of the Araneta Group, gave a total of P40 million to the campaign.

Roxas' uncle, Araneta Group CEO, chairman, and president Jorge L. Araneta, contributed P25 million. An aunt, Maria Fores, donated P10 million.

Francis Enrico Gutierrez, owner of mining corporation SR Metals, Inc., chipped in P10 million.

All funds spent

LP declared that it spent a total of P241,097,372.73 in contributions received, and said all of which were spent during the campaign.

Its summary report of expenditures showed that the party put majority of its funds in campaign advertisements, which reached nearly P201.4 million.

The party spent at least P15 million on printed materials, P7.2 million on travel expenses for its candidates and personnel, P4.89 million on "campaigners, clerks, stenographers, messengers, and other persons employed," and P3.4 million on rallies and sorties.

LP declared zero spending on watchers and campaign headquarters, as well as on employing counsel, list of voters, and printing of sample ballots.

Late submission

The party filed SOCE and other related documents only on Tuesday, about a week after the set deadline.

Roxas, meanwhile, is the lone presidential candidate who failed to file his SOCE, which was not included in LP's submission.

LP and Roxas have requested a 14-day extension from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), through a letter filed on the afternoon of June 8, the deadline of filing per the 30-day period set by law.

Top Comelec officials said Tuesday that they had yet to decide on whether to accept the SOCE, as LP and Roxas' request for a 14-day extension from the June 8 deadline was still pending before the Comelec en banc.

Comelec chief Andres Bautista maintained that they would wait for the recommendation from the campaign finance office, led by senior Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, who was not present in the last two meetings.

According to Republic Act No. 7166, winning candidates could not assume office if the political party that nominated them failed to file its SOCE within 30 days after the elections.

The same is provided for in Comelec Resolution No. 9991, promulgated in October 2015.

Unlike in previous elections, however, this resolution supposedly ruled out late filing, as it set June 8 as a "final and non-extendible" deadline.

Seven winning candidates for national positions—including Vice President-elect Leni Robredo—as well as hundreds of local candidates, ran under LP for this elections. —NB, GMA News