By Leslie Ann Aquino
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it has yet to receive a formal request for them to investigate President Duterte's alleged overspending in the May 2016 polls.
Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"Through news reporting on the matter, the Comelec has been made aware of Kontra Daya’s call for an investigation into alleged overspending by the Duterte campaign in 2016," Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement.
"To date, however, the Comelec has not received a formal request for such an investigation from Kontra Daya or any other group," he added.
Should a formal request be submitted, Jimenez said the COMELEC will take all appropriate and necessary steps to resolve the matter.
On Monday, Kontra Daya asked the poll body to investigate if Duterte overspent in the 2016 polls.
The poll watchdog group issued the call after information coming from the Senate inquiry last week showed that the Duterte camp bought from ABS-CBN alone a total of P182 million in commercial spots.
Kontra Daya said based on the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) submitted to the Comelec, the Duterte camp reportedly declared about P110 million in total campaign ad spending.
"Comparing this information to the one provided by ABS-CBN, Duterte is likely to have overspent," the group said.