The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that it is conducting a motu proprio investigation into at least four contractors who allegedly donated to the campaigns of national candidates — including senators and party-list groups — during the May 2022 elections, in violation of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia confirmed the probe, saying the initial investigation centers on private contractors who may have contributed to the “campaign kitty” of politicians despite legal prohibitions.
“The Comelec still has jurisdiction because there is a five-year prescriptive period to look into these,” Garcia said.
The Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD) is leading the investigation and has flagged three to four candidates who may have benefited from these questionable donations.
Garcia revealed that initial findings showed contractors — not ordinary private individuals — appeared as campaign donors.
“Initially, they found that they were not candidates, but contractors as campaign donors,” he said.
Under Section 95(c) of the Omnibus Election Code, contractors engaged in government projects are explicitly prohibited from contributing to political campaigns.
While the probe has yet to establish whether the candidates themselves are directly liable, Garcia stressed that the priority is to identify and verify which contractors made contributions.
“If the candidate himself is liable, we are not at that point. Let us first look at how many contractors have provided assistance to national candidates,” he said.
He further noted that verification will involve cross-checking with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to confirm whether the implicated contractors hold existing government contracts.
“Our investigation will not focus on those that supposedly received campaign contributions, but those who gave the donations,” Garcia emphasized.
The revelation comes at a time when government contractors are already under scrutiny for alleged anomalies in flood control projects, intensifying suspicions about deep links between political financing and public contracts.