Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Thursday that the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) from candidates, party-list groups, and political parties involved in the May 12 elections may be available online by next week.

According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia revealed in an online interview that they are awaiting the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to approve the program intended for posting the SOCEs. Garcia mentioned that the DICT needs to give prior consent and approval for the program's implementation, which is currently under their review.

Garcia expressed optimism about receiving the approval by Friday. "Hopefully by tomorrow, they will give the go-signal so that by next week we can put SOCEs one by one. It is no different from what we did with the COC (Certificate of Candidacy) when we published it," he stated. The Comelec aims to make the SOCEs accessible online to allow public scrutiny.

"This is where the vigilance of our people is needed. Aside from political rivals, the ordinary constituents will be able to check their SOCEs. It is everybody's obligation," Garcia emphasized, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

The law stipulates spending limits, allowing candidates to spend PHP3 per registered voter during the campaign period, with political parties and party-list groups permitted PHP5 per voter. The deadline for filing SOCEs was on Wednesday, and according to Comelec data, a significant number of candidates have complied.

Out of the 64 senatorial candidates, 61, including 12 winners, have submitted their SOCEs. Additionally, 141 out of 154 party-list groups and 25 out of 28 political parties have filed their respective statements. At the local level, filings include 126 out of 1,657 congressional candidates, 47 out of 230 candidates for governor, 41 out of 196 candidates for vice governor, and 325 out of 610 candidates for provincial board member as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

At the city/municipal level, 939 out of 3,748 candidates for mayor, 909 out of 3,472 candidates for vice mayor, and 7,285 out of 31,302 candidates for councilor have complied with the requirement. Garcia also noted that the Comelec's Political Finance and Affairs Department will audit all submitted SOCEs to ensure compliance and transparency.