Only 19,800 candidates in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City filed their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) before the Commission on Elections deadline on Wednesday, Provincial Election Supervisor lan Lee Ananoria said Friday, Dec. 1.
The number represents only 66.70 percent of the 29,682 candidates who ran in the October 30 polls.
The candidates who submitted their SOCEs for barangay captain posts were 1,341 and kagawads – 10,974, SK chairperson – 1,154 and SK members – 6,331, a Comelec report on Friday showed.
In Bacolod City 1,970 candidates filed their SOCEs.
SOCEs filed beyond the Nov. 29 deadline will no longer be accepted, Ananoria said.
Those who failed to file their SOCEs will be fined and third time offenders could be barred from running for public office, Ananoria said.*
