The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is reviewing the campaign contributions of at least four candidates from the 2022 elections to determine whether they received donations from government contractors, Chairman George Garcia confirmed on Thursday.
Garcia said the probe, which covers three senators and a local candidate in Bulacan, was initiated motu proprio and will be completed within two to three weeks. “We should not only focus on the personality who came out last week, but also on other personalities,” he told Storycon on One News.
The announcement follows reports linking Senate President Francis Escudero to Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., who allegedly donated ₱30 million to Escudero’s 2022 campaign. According to a report by The Philippine STAR, Centerways is one of 15 contractors that secured about 20 percent of all flood control projects amounting to ₱545 billion.
Escudero admitted Lubiano was his top donor and a personal friend but dismissed the allegations as a “demolition job,” stressing that he did not help the Sorsogon-based firm obtain government contracts during his time as governor from 2019 to 2022.
Election law prohibits government contractors—either as companies or individuals—from making political contributions. Garcia, however, pointed out that loopholes in the Omnibus Election Code complicate accountability since candidates are only required to disclose a donor’s occupation, which can simply be written as “businessman.”
The controversy comes as Congress launches separate investigations into questionable flood control projects. The House recently adopted Resolution 145 authorizing three committees to investigate irregularities, while senators, citing findings presented by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, denounced what they described as collusion between lawmakers, contractors, auditors, and district engineers. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said “heads must roll” over the alleged corruption, particularly in Bulacan where some projects were found to be non-existent, The Philippine STAR reported.
Garcia emphasized that Comelec has five years to pursue any violations, stressing that the inquiry will cover all candidates, not just those currently in the spotlight.
