BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) – Municipal Office reminds the candidates, whether elected or not, to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) in connection with the May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections to avoid facing charges.
The deadline for the submission is on or before June 8, 2022.
Acting Election Officer III Atty. Joyce Marie Dango mentioned that failure of filing SOCE shall constitute an administrative offense and a fine ranging from ₱1,000.00 to ₱30,000.00 for the first offense and ₱2,000.00 to ₱60,000.00 for the second or subsequent offense.
Meanwhile, the candidates are to submit three printed copies of SOCE and one soft/electronic copy in Excel File Format and in Portable Document Format (PDF) File of the signed and notarized statement forms to the COMELEC Office located at the Mezzanine of the Bontoc Municipal Capitol.
Atty. Dango mentioned that the soft/electronic copies may be saved in a USB flash drive or a compact disc (CD).
SOCE forms may be downloaded from the COMELEC Website at www.comelec.gov.ph.
Submission of the SOCE is a requirement prescribed by the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines to determine compliance with the expenditure limit of a candidate. The Election Law also prescribes an amount that candidates are allowed to spend during the campaign. The SOCE also requires the listing of contributions from donors.
With this, Atty. Dango expressed high hopes that the candidates in Bontoc will comply as they have been reminded of the laws requiring the submission of the document even before the start of the campaign period.
