Comelec Probes 15 Contractors Over Potential Illegal Donations to 2022 National Candidates

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has initiated an inquiry into 15 contractors suspected of illegally contributing to national candidates in the 2022 elections. The investigation aims to determine whether these contractors violated the election code by making donations while holding or seeking government contracts.

The Comelec Political Finance and Affairs Department is thoroughly reviewing the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SoCE) submitted by candidates from the last election cycle. Although the current focus is on national candidates, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia did not dismiss the possibility of extending the probe to donors and candidates at the local level.

"As of Wednesday, 15 contractors are under review, and the number could still grow. Our Political Finance and Affairs Department continues to go through all relevant documents," Garcia stated.

While the donations made by the contractors are under investigation, the Comelec has yet to establish any wrongdoing by the candidates who received these contributions. In a recent radio interview, Garcia confirmed that the commission is verifying whether these donors held "live" government contracts prior to, during, or after the May 2022 elections.

Should it be confirmed that these contractors had active contracts at those times, they may have violated Section 95(c) of the Omnibus Election Code, which expressly prohibits government contractors from making political contributions.

"We want to know if, at the time of the filing of candidacy certificates by these candidates, the contractors had existing government contracts or if they obtained contracts after the elections," Garcia explained in Filipino.