Comelec finds 31 contractors linked to 2022 nat'l bets

The number of contractors found to have possibly donated to the campaigns of candidates for national positions in the 2022 race has grown to 31 as of Aug. 30, according to the Commission on Elections.

- NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

Comelec Chairman George Garcia told the House appropriations committee yesterday that the contractors were listed in the candidates' statements of contributions and expenditures that were submitted to the poll body.

Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits contractors or subcontractors providing services or goods to the government from contributing to "partisan political activity" including election campaigns.

The list of contractors, which Garcia promised to submit to the committee, is undergoing verification.

He explained that the Comelec is prioritizing the contributions in the 2022 polls before those made in this year's midterm elections because election offenses have a five-year prescriptive period.

President Marcos identified 15 contractors that have cornered the bulk of flood control contracts since 2022. Garcia, however, said the Comelec uncovered more companies that might have given illegal campaign donations.

He earlier said the Comelec is looking at three or four senators who received campaign donations from contractors.

Education should be top budget priority in 2026

At the Senate yesterday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that in next year's budget, the education sector should take priority as mandated by law.

Lacson warned the budget department not to be an "accessory" to violation of the Constitution.

Lacson voiced his appeal at the Budget Coordination Committee briefing at the Senate, where he urged the executive branch to safeguard the education sector's funding and warned against a repeat of last year's "congressional miracle" that allowed the Department of Public Works and Highways to overtake education in funding priority.