Ninety-six percent of the 272 candidates who ran for local elective posts in Catanduanes filed their respective Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) by the June 11, 2025 deadline, the Commission on Elections reported.
In its report regarding compliance with the requirement, the Office of Provincial Elections Supervisor Atty. Neil Canicula said that 11 candidates, including two who ran for top provincial posts, failed to beat the deadline.
All candidates in the towns of Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Gigmoto, Panganiban, and San Miguel complied with the requirement pursuant to Section 14 of Republic Act 7166 and Comelec Resolution No. 10830.
Those who did not submit the SOCE were a candidate for the lone seat of Catanduanes in the House of Representatives, one who ran for Provincial Board Member, two candidates for mayor and three aspirants for councilor in Caramoran, a resident of Pandan who sought a council seat, a candidate for councilor in San Andres, an also-ran for mayor in Viga, and one candidate for councilor in Virac.
Although the report did not identify the non-complying candidates, a comparison of the names on the list with official roster of candidates from Catanduanes in the 2025 National and Local Elections turned up their identities: Virac airport mechanic Eugenio Salimao Jr. who placed last in the congressional race; independent candidate Pastor Jun Obusan Torres, who had the lowest vote total among nine (9) West District bets; Caramoran independent mayoral candidates Nel Asanza and Leo Sapico, who placed 3rd and 4th in the race; Caramoran SB aspirants Jesus Aliño (last), Cheridith Atole (16th) and Nestor Condeno (13th); Pandan SB candidate Jose Rommel Atutubo (14th); San Andres aspirant for councilor Jinky Garcia (10th); Viga mayoral bet Ramil Torres, who placed 2nd; and San Roque barangay chairman Delfin Urbano who ran for councilor despite being confined in a hospital since the start of the campaign but garnered 2,533 votes ahead of the tailender in the field of 15 aspirants.
Pursuant to law, the SOCE filing requirement applies to all candidates, whether elected or not.
Last week, the DILG announced that, in accordance with its mandate to supervise local governments and implement relevant election-related laws and policies, will not issue any recognition of assumption or acknowledge any oath-taking for officials who failed to meet the SOCE filing requirement.
The SOCE requirement promotes transparency and accountability in the conduct of elections and in the use of campaign funds. It serves as a post-election compliance measure to ensure integrity in public office and to reinforce public trust in electoral processes.
A candidate who fails to submit the SOCE will be disqualified from holding office in the future while the failure to file the SOCE, whether late or incomplete, can result in hefty fines imposed by COMELEC.
Likewise, deliberate falsification or misrepresentation of the SOCE can result in criminal charges, including imprisonment and/or fines.
In recent years, a number of local candidates have been charged with violating campaign spending limits based on the SOCE they submitted.