Elected bets in Bacolod beat SOCE deadline

ALL elected officials in Bacolod City filed their Statements of Election Contributions and Expenditures (Soce) for the May elections before its deadline on June 13, Commission on Elections (Comelec) bacolod official said yesterday.

Acting Bacolod election registrar Ann Janette Lamban said of 35 candidates in Bacolod including those who did not win, only four candidates who ran for councilor failed to file their Soce on time.

She said it will be the Comelec Manila to determine the penalty to be filed against the four candidates who failed to file their Soce.

“Under the law, there is an administrative penalty against to those who fail to file Soce,” she added.

Lamban noted that on the last day of filing, they waited for the candidates to file until 8 p.m. and it was mayoral candidate Jocelle Batapa-sigue filed its Soce in the last minute.

Lamban said the Soce documents will be forwarded to the Provincial Comelec office and to be submitted to the Comelec in Manila.

Bacolod City has a total of 27 candidates for councilor; three candidates for mayor; three candidates for vice mayor; and two candidates for congressman.

Soce is a comprehensive report about the campaign contributions and expenditures of political candidates.

Meanwhile, Lamban said it will be her last day of office in Bacolod City today and she will report to Cebu on Monday.

She said all the documents were already turned over to the Comelec personnel.

Lamban also expressed her gratitude to all her staff in Bacolod, the Philippine National Police, Department of Education, city government employee and to all those who helped for the success of the May elections.*