ILOILO City – Winning midterm election candidates in this city may be barred from assuming office if they fail to file their mandatory Statement of Contributions and Expenses (SOCE) by the strict June 11 deadline, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) warned.
Under election law, no individual — regardless of electoral outcome — can assume public office without filing the SOCE, a document that details all campaign contributions and expenditures.
“Even those already proclaimed and who have taken their oaths cannot legally assume office without complying,” said Jonathan Sayno, Election Assistant II at the Comelec-Iloilo City.
Comelec emphasized that no extensions will be granted, citing a Supreme Court ruling affirming the immutability of the 30-day post-election deadline under Republic Act No. 7166.
As of press time, not a single SOCE has been accepted by the local Comelec office.
“Some have submitted drafts for checking, but corrections are needed before we can formally receive them,” Sayno noted.
Candidates who fail to comply face escalating sanctions: monetary fines for the first and second failures (two elections with no SOCE submissions), and perpetual disqualification from public office (three elections with no SOCE submissions).
Fabricating or submitting false SOCEs could also lead to criminal charges for falsification and perjury.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia earlier warned, “If you file SOCEs with discrepancies and are untruthful, you can face charges of falsification and perjury. Those are violations of the law.”
The filing requirement covers all candidates who submitted Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) — even those who later withdrew but were covered by the campaign period.
“We’re calling on all candidates and political parties to file their SOCEs early. The deadline is final — June 11, 2025, at 5 p.m., no noon break,” Sayno urged./PN
