THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) revealed on Wednesday that six senatorial candidates in the 2022 elections received campaign donations from contractors, a violation of the Omnibus Election Code.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia stated that three of the six candidates are incumbents. “Kinumpirma natin na maaring tatlo ay incumbent at ang tatlo ay hindi pinalad sa elections,” Garcia told reporters, confirming that three of the candidates won their Senate seats while the other three were unsuccessful.
Garcia declined to name the candidates due to the ongoing investigation.
The Comelec is currently investigating 55 contractors for allegedly making illegal campaign donations to various candidates in the 2022 elections. The investigation was launched after the Comelec requested information from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to determine if the contractors in question were engaged in government contracts.
The Omnibus Election Code (OEC) prohibits contractors involved in government projects from contributing funds to candidates. Article XI Section 95 of the OEC explicitly states that no contributions for partisan political activity can be made directly or indirectly by “Natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or to perform construction or other works.”
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