Three of the 15 contractors awarded with flood control projects disclosed by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. had contributed to candidates in the 2022 election, Commission on Election chairperson George Garcia said Wednesday.
“Mukhang meron tatlo doon sa 15 na nabanggit ng Pangulo,” Garcia told Super Radyo dzBB.
“Sa national candidate at in cash yung naibigay na mga donasyon, kontribusyon sa mga naturang kandidato,” the poll chief added.
(It seems there are three out of the 15 contractors disclosed by the President. It was given to a national candidate, and the donations, contributions were in cash.)
Garcia made the remark as the Comelec will submit a list of contractors who possibly donated to candidates in the 2022 elections to the House Committee on Appropriations.
“Ngayong araw, tayo magsusumite tayo sa House Committee on Appropriations ng 31 na mga kontratista na sa ating palagay ay nagbigay, base sa records ng kanilang kontribusyon o donasyon sa mga kandidato noong Eleksyon 2022,” Garcis told Super Radyo dzBB.
(Today, we will submit to the House Committee on Appropriations 31 contractors who contributed or donated to candidates of the 2022 elections, which is based form our records.)
He added the Comelec will consult with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) whether the 31 contractors were under government contracts during the time they gave money to the candidates during or after the elections.
Garcia said the number of contractors could still increase.
“Pupuedeng magbigay ng donasyon kung hindi sila public works contractor, pero kung public works contractor, natural or juridical person, ay pwedeng maging liable,” he said.
(They may give donations if they are not public works contractors, but if they are public works contractors, natural or juridical persons, they may be liable for making illegal contributions.)
Garcia earlier said contractors in government projects are prohibited from contributing funds to candidates, citing that this is a violation of Section 95 (c) under the Omnibus Election Code.
Article XI of the Omnibus Election Code states:
“SECTION 95. Prohibited contributions. – No contribution for purposes of partisan political activity shall be made directly or indirectly by any of the following:”
“(c) 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.”
Both contractor and receiver may face one to six years of imprisonment, Garcia said over dzBB.
The candidate or government official could also face perpetual disqualification to hold public office.
In an interview with reporters, Garcia said 44,000 candidates submitted their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) in the 2022 election, while 42,000 submitted in the 2025 election.
“Yung sinasabi pong napakadaling tingnan, with all due respect, hindi po madaling tingnan. Kapag nagpa-file sa amin, napaka voluminous ng documents, lalo na ang sa national candidtaes. Lahat, paggastos, pagtanggap ng donations, [at] contributions isasubmit sa amin,” Garcia said.
“Tatlumpu’t walong tao lang ang tao namin sa opisina nga yan na gumagawa ng trabaho na pinagpagawa po natin,” he added.
(To those saying that our work is easy, with all due respect, it’s not. There are voluminous documents, especially with the national candidates. Everything, from the expenses, donations,and contributions are submitted to us. We only have 38 people checking these.) — RF, GMA Integrated News
