Comelec to complete campaign finance training for local election officers

TACLOBAN CITY, April 11 (PNA) -– The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is building the capacity of local election officers to scrutinize the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) of candidates in the upcoming May 9 polls.

Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said the poll body will complete the training this week for election officers on campaign finance. The training has been done in all regions of the country.

“Since we never did this in the previous elections, we want to build the capacity of election officers especially that we changed some forms,” he told reporters on the sidelines of training of nearly 200 local poll officials in Eastern Visayas on Saturday.

Under the 52-page Comelec Resolution 9991, election officers are tasked to check the SOCE before forwarding to the Comelec central office for auditing.

In the past elections, only the Comelec’s Campaign Finance Office examines the campaign spending of all national and local candidates.

Candidates, political parties and party-list groups must file their SOCEs by June 8, 2016 or 30 days after election day, according to Comelec resolution issued last year.

“Regardless of whether they won or not, (they) must file their SOCEs,” read the resolution. “The June 8, 2016 deadline shall be final and non-extendible. Submissions beyond this period shall not be accepted.”

Violation shall constitute an election offense punishable with up to six years imprisonment, suspension of the right to vote and disqualification from holding public office.

A law in 1991 imposes the following spending limits of candidates per voter - PHP10 for President and Vice President, P3 for other candidates who belong to a political party, PHP5 for independent candidates, and PHP5 for political parties. (PNA)

FFC/SQM