BACOLOD City – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in this city reminded all candidates who ran during the May 13 midterm elections to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditure (SOCE) before the deadline on June 13.
City Comelec officer Ann Janette Lamban said all candidates are required to file the SOCE on time, whether they won or lost in the election.
Under Republic Act 7166 (Synchronized Elections Law), all candidates and electoral parties – win or lose – are required to file their SOCEs within 30 days after the conduct of elections.
Cited also on Section 111 of the Omnibus Election Code, no person elected to any public office shall enter upon the duties of his office until he has filed the SOCE.
As of June 7, only two out of 35 candidates in this city have filed their SOCE. They were incumbent Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, said Lamban.
Lamban refused to declare Leonardia’s SOCE but instead referred the matter to the latter’s legal counsel.
Familiaran meanwhile filed his SOCE on June 6 before the City Comelec. He had P719,768 total expenditures or about half of the amount allowed by the COMELEC.
“Since I ran as an independent candidate for vice mayor under the Grupo Progreso, I am allowed by law to spend about P1.5 million,” he explained./PN
