• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As the filing of statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) for the May 12 election candidates ended June 11, 75 candidates in Negros Occidental failed to meet the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In a report of the Comelec provincial office, 703 of the 778 candidates in Negros Occidental were able to file their SOCEs before the deadline ended.
Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec regional director for Negros Island Region, however, said that all winning candidates in the region managed to file their respective SOCEs.
Comelec records showed that Bacolod City has the highest number of candidates, who did not file their SOCEs.
Only 28 of the 37 candidates in the city managed to file their SOCEs.
“The SOCE filing requirement applies to all candidates, whether elected or not,’’ according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), citing Republic Act No. 7166 and Comelec Resolution No. 10730, which states all candidates and political parties in the May 2025 elections are required to file their SOCEs by June 11.
Failure to file SOCE may also result in administrative fines for both winning and losing candidates, the DILG further said.
“Repeat violations result into stiffer fines and subject the offender to perpetual disqualification to hold public office,’’ it added.
The DILG emphasized that the SOCE requirement promotes transparency and accountability in the conduct of elections and in the use of campaign funds.
Kabankalan City had the highest number of filers with 62.
All candidates in the cities of Cadiz, Himamaylan, Sagay, San Carlos and Sipalay as well as the municipalities of Toboso, Calatrava, Pulupandan, and Don Salvador Benedicto have filed their SOCEs. | GB
