All candidates must submit their Statements of Election Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) on or before June 8, Roberto Salazar, Negros Occidental provincial elections supervisor, said Thursday, May 12.
Section 14 of Republic Act 7166, an act providing for synchronized national and local elections, states that failure to file a SOCE prohibits winning candidates from assuming office, and commission of a second or subsequent failure to file a SOCE subjects the offender to perpetual disqualification to hold public office.
All candidates who won or lost must submit their SOCEs within 30 days from Election Day, Salazar said.
They were notified of the SOCE requirement when they filed their certificates of candidacy, he added.
Salazar also said the funds for the payment of poll watchers in Negros Occidental have already been released to the election officers in the towns and cities for disbursement.
The election officers have been designated as special disbursing officers.
We will follow the Election Service Reform Act, which mandates that poll workers be paid within 15 days from conclusion of elections, Salazar said.
The precinct chairperson will receive P10,000 and the members about P9,000 but will be subject to tax deductions, he said.*