Comelec can't verify poll expense reports of candidates — official

An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday admitted that the poll body has no way of verifying the authenticity of the statements of contributions and expenditures being submitted by candidates. Comelec Law Department head Ferdinand Rafanan said they have no "capacity" of verifying or auditing the submitted expenditure reports on their own. "Kung ano lang sinubmit nila, we take it for granted na tama (Whatever they submit, we assume that it is correct)," Rafanan told reporters. He said the job of his department, which is tasked to receive the reports, is ministerial and is just similar to record-keeping. He added that they can only reprimand candidates if they do not submit on time or do not submit a report at all. Rafanan noted, however, that they are "looking into" conducting a more thorough evaluation of the poll expenditures of candidates. He even said that they plan on working with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, election finance watchdog Pera at Pulitika, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants in auditing the candidates' expenses. Deadline for submission The Comelec said that candidates, political parties, and party-list groups have until June 9 to file a statement of all contributions and expenditures in connection with the elections. Militant party-list group Akbayan, however, wrote a letter to Comelec chairman Jose Melo asking for a 15-day extension of the submission of the expenditure reports. The group said there is not enough time to prepare a statement that is in full compliance with the format prescribed by the Comelec. The resolution asking candidates to submit expenditure reports was released on May 25. Rafanan said he had already endorsed Akbayan's proposal to the Comelec en banc. "Ako naman ok lang i-extend, kaysa naman magsbumit sila ng mali-mali (For me, it's okay to extend the deadline so that what they submit are factual)," he said. The poll body, however, has yet to decide on the matter. Comelec Resolution 8944 says that failure to file the statement will prevent a person from assuming office, if he is elected. It added that failure to submit the document will constitute an administrative offense which is punishable by a fine ranging from P1,000 to P30,000 at the discretion of the Comelec. Violation of the spending limit is also an election offense, which is punishable by disenfranchisement, disqualification from holding public office, and imprisonment from one to six years. — Kimberly Jane Tan/LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV