by Ferdinand Patinio/PNA
Candidates and political parties would have to pay a fine for submission of incomplete Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) in the May 13 polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
According to Comelec Resolution 10505 dated February 28 and released Wednesday, administrative penalties will be collected for uncompleted SOCEs submitted on or before June 12.
“An administrative penalty shall be imposed in the amount of PHP1,000 against candidates, political parties, and contributors for incomplete submission of the required documents,” the resolution read.
Based on existing rules, an incomplete statement shall be considered “as not filed”.
The resolution noted that a SOCE is considered incomplete when any or all of the required documents are unsigned or not notarized; lacks details and entries in any or all the documents; and there is a missing document and receipt.
Likewise, it will be considered incomplete if it does not contain all the required information; or does not conform with the prescribed form.
With this, the poll body has released the SOCE and attachment forms to be used for the May 13 elections, to ensure that candidates and political parties shall be able to fully comply.
The law requires every candidate and political party to submit their SOCEs within 30 days after elections.
