BACOLOD CITY – A total of 112 candidates in the May 12 midterm elections in the Negros Island Region (NIR) failed to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Comelec-NIR Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano led a post-election assessment meeting with law enforcement and other agencies at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) headquarters on Wednesday.
Based on data presented by Castillano, 1,445 out of 1,557 candidates submitted their SOCE, translating to a 92.81 percent compliance rate.
Negros Occidental recorded the highest number of filers at 703, followed by Negros Oriental with 589, and Siquijor with 153.
Among those who failed to comply were 75 candidates in Negros Occidental, 28 in Negros Oriental, and nine in Siquijor.
The deadline for filing SOCE was June 11.
Castillano warned that failure to submit SOCE could result in fines or, at worst, perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
He said the highest compliance came from Negros Oriental at 95.46 percent, followed by Siquijor at 94.44 percent, and Negros Occidental at 90.36 percent.
“Supposed to be, all candidates—win or lose—or even those who withdrew must file their SOCE,” Castillano said.
For a first offense, an administrative fine will be imposed, based on the position sought.
“The higher the position, the higher the administrative fine, which could reach up to PHP30,000,” he added.
For candidates who fail to file twice but not consecutively, Comelec will still impose a fine.
“Sisingilin po talaga ng Comelec iyan,” Castillano said.
Candidates who fail to file in consecutive election periods face a case from the Comelec Law Department and may be perpetually disqualified by the Comelec en banc.
All submitted SOCEs will be sent to the national Comelec office for verification of documents and spending compliance.
Castillano warned that candidates found overspending may also face perpetual disqualification, as it is considered an election offense.
“Mas matindi ang overspending kasi election offense iyon. Iyan ang magiging epekto,” he said.
He noted that winning candidates who fail to file SOCE cannot assume office.
Despite some noncompliance, Castillano is optimistic that remaining candidates, especially winners, will submit their SOCE, as it is required to assume office.
Castillano called the midterm elections in the region successful, citing a voter turnout of 84.52 percent, surpassing the national average of 82 percent.
“This only means people came out to vote because they felt secure with the presence of the police and military, ensuring peaceful elections despite the incident in Silay City,” he said.
He noted that residents of Silay still voted despite election day violence that left two people dead and seven injured.
“Their presence created an environment conducive for voting, and because of that, I can say we had successful midterm elections,” he added.
Comelec-NIR also recognized and thanked its partners and stakeholders for ensuring peaceful and orderly polls in the region. (Glazyl Jopson via tdg)