ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Region 6 has issued a reminder to all candidates from the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to submit their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) by the Nov. 29 deadline.
The call for compliance is especially directed towards Iloilo City candidates, who have shown a notably low rate of submission. As of Nov. 27, less than half of the 6,897 candidates in the city have filed their SOCE.
Jonathan Sayno, Election Assistant II at the Iloilo City Comelec office, highlighted a particularly low compliance rate among SK candidates, compared to their barangay counterparts.
He noted that city and municipal election offices remained open on the holiday to accommodate candidates, particularly those from the SK who may be students or working professionals with limited time for submission.
Sayno emphasized the importance of meeting this legal requirement, citing Section 14 of Republic Act 7166. This Act mandates elected officials to submit their SOCE before assuming office, with penalties ranging from P1,000 to P30,000 for non-compliance.
Repeat offenses could lead to higher fines and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
The breakdown of candidates in Iloilo City is as follows:
* Arevalo – 638
* City Proper – 1,402
* Jaro – 1,597
* La Paz – 942
* Lapuz – 511
* Mandurriao – 788
* Molo – 1,019
Atty. Dennis Ausan, Comelec Region 6 director, also urged candidates to file their SOCE promptly to avoid last-minute errors or omissions.
The Campaign Finance Office of the Comelec Central Office will review all SOCE forms for possible overspending.
Candidates in barangay and SK elections are limited to spending P5 per registered voter, with potential disqualification or imprisonment for violations.
In Western Visayas, a total of 148,005 candidates participated in the BSKE, with the following regional distribution:
* Aklan – 11,613
* Antique – 20,789
* Capiz – 16,957
* Guimaras – 3,601
* Iloilo – 65,405
* Negros Occidental – 29,640/PN
