Comelec to issue SCO vs Centerway exec on P30M donation for Chiz's campaign

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to issue a show-cause order (SCO) against the president of the Centerways Construction and Development Inc. over his P30 million donation to the 2022 senatorial campaign of Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. 

On Wednesday, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the poll body will direct Lawrence Lubiano to explain the campaign donation and defend why he should not be charged with an election offense for violating Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC). 

“We will issue a SCO…requiring him to explain if indeed, ina-admit niya yung P30 million na donation and to explain why he should not be charged by the Comelec with an election offense as this is prohibited donation under Section 95,” Garcia told reporters. 

The SCO will be issued on Thursday, September 11. 

Lubiano, during a House hearing on flood control projects, admitted donating P30 million to Escudero's senatorial bid in 2022. He, however, said his donation was from his own pocket.

“Your honor, personally ko po donation or nag-donate po ako kay Senator Chiz, yung P30 million. Hindi po galing sa company ‘yun, galing po yun sa akin as a personal individual,” he said. 

(Your honor, I personally made the P30 million donation to Senator Chiz. It was not sourced from the company, I gave it as an individual.) 

Escudero earlier admitted to being friends with Lubiano and confirmed that he was one of his campaign contributors during his senatorial campaign in 2022. But he has denied that he intervened in Lubiano’s business and contracts with the government.

"For the record, wala akong kinalaman sa pag-identify, paggawa ng program of work, pag-bid, pag-award, pagbayad, pag-inspeksyon ng anumang proyekto sa pamahalaan sa Sorsogon man o sa labas ng lalawigan ng Sorsogon," Escudero said back in August.

(For the record, I have nothing to do with identifying, making a program of work, bidding, awarding, paying, or inspecting any government project whether in Sorsogon or outside the province of Sorsogon.)

Contractors, donors

Garcia earlier said the total number of contractors who donated to candidates in the 2022 polls increased to 52. This includes contractors that made campaign donations to the 2022 candidacies of seven national candidates, 15 political parties, two gubernatorial bets, and two candidates for vice-governor. 

According to the poll chief, the Comelec submitted a letter to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday to determine whether the contractors were engaged in government contracts when they made the campaign donations. 

“Kinakailangan po muna natin ma-confirm kung iyong mismo nagbigay ay talagang government contractor. Baka po kasi private contractor so iseless na pagpaliwanagin pa yung mismo kandidato,” Garcia added. 

(We need to confirm if the companies were government contractors. If they are private, it will be useless to ask the candidates for explanation.)

Garcia said the Comelec will write to the 52 contractors to seek their explanation.

The Comelec official, however, noted that there is a possibility that some of these construction firms had no government contracts and only worked for private clients.

If proven guilty, contractors will face one to six years of imprisonment. For the candidates, aside from the same jail time, they will face perpetual disqualification to hold public office. 

For the candidates who are currently holding a position, Garcia said there is a different process for their possible removal from office but this is already outside the jurisdiction of the Comelec. —VAL, GMA Integrated News