Perpetual DQ awaits 500 bets who failed to file SOCE — Garcia

Even if they win in the May 9 polls, candidates who have not filed their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) twice face perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

In a text message on Saturday, May 7, Comelec Commissioner George Erwin Garcia confirmed that there are 500 candidates who have failed to file their SOCE for two consecutive elections.

In an interview over DZMM, he said these candidates did not file both in the 2019 and 2016.

"E ang atin pong patakaran diyan at may desisyon po ang Korte Suprema, kapag po hindi po nakapag-file ng dalawang magkasunod na eleksyon ng SOCE, ‘yan po ay may perpetual disqualification bilang parusa (The rule is, and there is a Supreme Court decision on this, that if they did not file their SOCE for two consecutive elections, the penalty is perpetual disqualification)," Garcia explained.

He went on to warn candidates who are currently running for public office in the May 2022 elections that they may face perpetual disqualification if it is proven that they failed to file their SOCE.

"Kahit manalo po sila, sila po ay tatanggalin natin dahil ito'y isang parusa na nakalagay mismo sa ating batas (Even if they win, we will remove them because this is the penalty under the law)," he said.

According to Garcia, the filing of SOCE is imperative so the poll body would know where the funds used by the candidates came from and where it was used.

He added that there were candidates who have already been disqualified such as those running for mayor.