MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing to summon several 2022 electoral candidates after indications that they may have received campaign donations from government contractors, Comelec Chairman George Garcia announced on Monday.
Garcia said the move follows the initial wave of responses submitted by contractors who were earlier issued show-cause orders. While some have complied, others have yet to respond to the Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD), prompting the poll body to begin drafting new notices aimed directly at the candidates who allegedly benefitted from these contributions.
According to Garcia, the review of contractor submissions is ongoing, and the Comelec expects to release the show-cause orders for the implicated candidates as early as Tuesday. He emphasized that the directive will cover all concerned individuals regardless of position, including senatorial bets, congressional aspirants, and party-list nominees.
Out of the 27 government contractors identified, Garcia said the Comelec is still consolidating how many have yet to answer the earlier inquiries. To ensure fairness, the commission is granting non-responding firms an additional five working days to comply, noting that several of them are based outside Metro Manila and need more time to prepare their explanations.
Garcia stressed that the Comelec is not rushing the process and is prioritizing due process to avoid any claims of unfair treatment, especially from contractors located in the provinces. Once the PFAD completes its evaluation, it may recommend the filing of charges against contractors and candidates found to have violated campaign finance regulations. These recommendations will then be forwarded to the Commission en banc for approval.
Under Article 11 of the Omnibus Election Code, individuals or entities with government contracts—whether for construction, goods, or services—are prohibited from contributing to any election campaign. The ongoing review seeks to determine whether these prohibited contributions took place and what sanctions may be imposed.