On October 4, President Rodrigo Duterte declared in a speech at Makati hotel for the Sulong Pilipinas Convention that Imee Marcos had been one of the few politicians who helped fund his presidential campaign.
“Wala akong barangay captain, wala akong congressman, wala akong pera. Si Imee pa ang nagbigay. Sabi niya, inutang daw niya. Si Imee, supported me,” according to President Duterte.
However, the Ilocos Norte Governor’s name did not appear in the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) along with the 183 donors listed by Duterte and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the President’s party.
Due to this incident, the Commission on Elections Campaign Finance Office (CFO) has begun examining Duterte’s campaing finance records.
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Nevertheless, on October 17, Governor Imee was quick to deny Duterte’s claim, saying the statement could be one of the President’s jokes. She further clarifies that the only contribution she gave in the President’s campaign was to help him solicit votes in the Ilocos Region, which is known to be the Marcos’ political bailiwick.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, a “full, true and itemized” SOCE is required to be filed by candidates and political parties 30 days after the day of election.
The SOCE must disclose the expenses as well as list of financiers and their contributions during the campaign of the candidate.
The current investigation on the President’s SOCE has been identified by the Comelec’s CFO as “informal or internal” and that updates are not yet available.
It is important to note that under Comelec’s Omnibus Rules on Campaign Finance, an incomplete SOCE is subject to a P30,000 fine whilst nondisclosure of donors is equivalent to an election offense.
However, an election lawyer found it may be difficult to verify Imee’s funding because other documents other than SOCE and supporting receipts could not prove that she had indeed supported Duterte financially. Bank deposits could serve as evidence but these are covered by the Bank Secrecy Law.
Source: (news.abs-cbn.com)
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