Comelec to disqualify more candidates due to overspending

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MANILA — Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes issued a stern warning that more candidates will face the consequences of election overspending.

Brilliantes said via radio interview with station dzMM on Saturday that Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito will be joined by around “1,000 or 2,000” candidates in the case of election overspending. Those who will be accused may face administrative or criminal measures for their violation of poll rules.

Just like Ejercito, Brillantes noted that the candidates in question either failed to file their Statement of Election Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), made wrong entries or spent in amounts over the permissible allocation of P3 per registered voter.

Based on the offenses, some candidates may be disqualified from running in the elections. In tof Ejercito, for instance, aside from the charges of overspending, there was also a pending disqualification case filed against him by his political rival, Edgardo San Luis.

According to Brillantes, he is setting a new standard, and this is what he would like to leave as a legacy after his retirement in February 2015.

“What I am doing now is creating a new trend. We want to run after those who overspent, buying votes,” he said, noting that the commissions before him have not prosecuted a single person for overspending.

“We want to show that we are not joking. We want to send a message to those who want to run in 2016,” he emphasized.