The Commission on Elections said six more senators have received campaign donations from contractors, some of which may be involved in government contracts and are prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code from making such donations.
Poll body chairman George Garcia made the disclosure days after Comelec issued a show-cause order to Senator Francis Escudero over a P30-million campaign donation he received from contractor Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc.
Garcia said the new names emerged from the poll body’s review of 55 contractors identified as donors during the 2022 national elections.
“Based on initial reports, there are around six other senators who were recipients. But we cannot yet reveal who they are until our investigation is complete,” Garcia said in an interview.
“We owe it to the public to be transparent. Campaign contributions should never be used as a backdoor to government contracts,” he added.
He said Comelec is now coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways to verify whether the companies that contributed were engaged in government-funded infrastructure or supply contracts at the time of the donations.
Garcia clarified though that not every donation from contractors inherently breaches election regulations.
Although Section 95(c) of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits individuals or organizations with current government contracts from contributing to candidates, companies that function exclusively in the private sector—like real estate developers, glass manufacturers, or providers of non-governmental projects—are not automatically included.
“There are contractors that only build subdivisions or commercial spaces. If they are not engaged in any government project or bidding, then they fall outside the legal prohibition,” he said.
He said the investigation aims to draw a clear line between legitimate private donations and those that could constitute undue influence or conflict of interest.
Garcia said Comelec expects to release its official findings once the DPWH completes its validation process.
