DILG: “It’s plain and simple: No SOCE, no oath-taking for NEOs [newly elected officials].”
DILG — The Department of the Interior and Local Government said on Tuesday that newly-elected officials have been reminded to file their SOCE (statement of contributions and expenditure) before June 8.
The Statement of Contributions and Expenditure or SOCE is a document detailing how much a political candidate — local or national — spent for his or her campaign.
Also, the said document will identify who, if ever, is their campaign donors who helped them via in-kind or cash contributions received by the party or the personality.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government cited Section 14 of Republic Act No. 7166 or the Synchronized National and Local Elections and Electoral Reforms Act, which states that:
“Every candidate and treasurer of the political party shall, within 30 days after the day of the election, file in duplicate with the offices of the Commission the full, true and itemized statement of all contributions and expenditures in connection with the election”.
The same provision also bars elected officials from taking their seats without filing the Statement of Contributions and Expenditure before the Commission on Elections or COMELEC. Politicians may be subjected to perpetual disqualification from public office if they failed to file their SOCE.
On Tuesday, outgoing DILG Secretary Eduardo Año reminded winning candidates that a “no SOCE, no oath-taking” rule will be imposed in order to ensure that newly-elected officials comply with the law and to also avoid any problems that may come with their oath-taking.
“It’s plain and simple: No SOCE, no oath-taking for NEOs [newly elected officials],” he said in a statement. “We encourage our NEOs to start their term right by complying with the provisions of the law and submitting their SOCE to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on or before June 8, 2022.”
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Año also hoped that winning candidates should start their terms on the right track and should comply with their legal obligation as enshrined in the Constitution.
He stressed that declaring SOCEs before the start of a newly-elected official’s term is required by RA 7166, which also stated that no elected official will be allowed to assume their positions without submitting the said document.
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