The Commission on Elections and the Securities and Exchange Commission signed a memorandum of agreement this week, committing to be stricter in their monitoring of violations of election and commercial laws as these pertain to campaign contributions for the coming elections.
The two agencies also vowed to share information with the other in identifying illegal contributions made by registered firms to national and local candidates.
The Corporation Code of the Philippines says: “no corporation, domestic or foreign, shall give donations in aid of any political party or candidate or for purposes of partisan political activity.”
Meanwhile, the Omnibus Election Code identifies numerous examples of prohibited contributions, all defined by their sources: “public or private financial institutions; natural and juridical persons operating a public utility or in possession of or exploiting any natural resources of the nation; natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or to perform construction or other works; natural and juridical persons who have been granted franchises, incentives, exemptions, allocations or similar privileges or concessions by the government; natural and juridical persons who, within one year prior to the date of the election, have been granted loans or other accommodations in excess of P100,000 by the government; educational institutions which have received grants of public funds amounting to no less than P100,000.00; and foreigners and foreign corporations.”
Many Filipinos are either unaware of these provisions or are aware of them but violate them anyway, confident that it would be difficult for anybody to track them down or show proof of their contribution to the candidate of their choice.
It’s an investment decision, choosing which candidate to support. Elections in the Philippines are like this, have always been and will always be like this. Government jobs do not pay a lot, and those who wish to run for office have to rely on the kindness of strangers that will enable them to campaign.
By way of thanks after they do get the post, they make life easier for these strangers-no-more. Favorable laws are enacted; unfavorable ones blocked. Local government process are made easier. Tax concessions are given. Sometimes, there are interventions in the judicial processes involving the contributors. Life is generally made easier.
It is perhaps human nature to do something good for the person—or corporation —who does something good for you. There must be a distinction, however, between returning a favor and using your office to pay back a donor.
That this has been something done countless times by local and national politicians alike does not make the practice any less wrong. Businessmen are perfectly within their bounds to try to turn a profit out of every decision they make—but not at the people’s expense.
