THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that it will summon Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero next week to explain a P30 million campaign donation he received from a contractor during his 2022 senatorial bid.
This development follows a meeting between Comelec and the legal counsel of Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., the contractor in question.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia stated that a show cause order (SCO) will be issued against Escudero, requiring him to explain why he should not be charged with an election offense for violating Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), which prohibits entities with government contracts from making political donations.
Centerways is among 15 contractors identified by President Marcos as having been awarded 20% of the government’s flood control project contracts. Lubiano previously admitted to the P30 million donation during a House hearing, claiming the funds came from his personal account.
Garcia also confirmed that President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte are among those being investigated by the Comelec over alleged illegal donations to their 2022 campaigns, based on a report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).
The PCIJ report alleged that Marcos and Duterte received substantial campaign contributions from public works contractors, a practice prohibited by the OEC. Malacañang has indicated that President Marcos is willing to cooperate with the investigation.
