A party-list lawmaker has supported the proposal of Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia to publish online the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) of candidates for 2025 elections and make it accessible to the public.
“This move will boost transparency and accountability in our election system,” said anti-corruption advocate Rep. Eddie Villanueva of Citizen’s Battle Against Crime and Corruption (CIBAC) party-list group.
With Garcia’s proposal, Villanueva said “people will have a greater scrutiny of who are financing the candidates, where are the campaign money coming from, and is it legitimate or not.”
“By doing so, the public can better figure out what or whose interests will the candidate be standing for when elected into office,” Villanueva added.
Garcia said he would push for the SOCEs of all candidates in the 2025 midterm election to be posted on the commission’s website to promote complete transparency.
The Comelec chief said the voters should know the campaign donors behind the politicians, how much the candidates spent, and how they spent the money.
