Comelec chief: Foreign-backed candidates face disqualification

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Monday, May 5, that receiving any form of assistance from foreign entities is a ground for the disqualification of election candidates.

- By DHEL NAZARIO

Garcia said this during the hearing of the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones after he was asked by Sen. JV Ejercito regarding poll candidates allegedly backed by the Chinese government.

"I read in the news regarding the so-called Chinese governmentbacked candidates... so, what actions could be taken on these? Can they be disqualified because they are receiving assistance from foreign nationals?" Ejercito asked in Filipino.

Garcia told Ejercito that monetary assistance or any form of assistance from foreign nationals or entities, including Filipinos who renounced their citizenship, is one of the grounds for dismissal of a candidate.

"When we went to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, we said that hopefully they can monitor the transfer of funds coming from the outside the country," he said. "Of course, when those groups provide help-aside from assistance through social media-it's also financial support which can be used to contract or hire services that could lead to massive disinformation or misinformation." He also stated that it would be difficult to trace if the foreign assistance has already been transferred to local business owners.