By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

According to the Negros Occidental Commission on Elections (Comelec), 29 out of 33 provincial-level candidates failed to submit their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE). In addition, Negros Occidental provincial elections supervisor, Atty. Tictac Villanueva, said all four were unsuccessful in their electoral bids.
Earlier, Bacolod City-Comelec supervisor, Atty. Ann Janette Lamban, said there were four electoral candidates in the city that failed to submit their SOCEs before the June 13 deadline.
Under the law, candidates are required to submit their SOCE within 30 days after the elections.
While the Comelec does allow for winning candidates to file past deadline, they are subject to a penalty. Meanwhile, those who refuse to fulfill their duty face penalties including an administrative case and fines between P1,000 to P30,000 on their first offense.
Fines increase on a second offense, where offenders are required to pay between P2,000 and P60,000 and are penalized with perpetual disqualification from holding public office./DGB, WDJ