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Lapid files bill seeking to raise limit on authorized campaign expenses
Lapid files bill seeking to raise limit on authorized campaign expenses
Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid has filed a bill seeking to increase the authorized campaign expenses of candidates in national and local elections.
In filing Senate Bill No. 2460, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7166, otherwise known as the "Synchronized National and Local Elections and for Electoral Reforms Act of 1991,” Lapid said it is high time this policy is updated to reflect the effects of inflation on the costs associated with electoral campaigns.
R.A. No. 7166, specifically governs the allowable campaign expenses for candidates participating in the Philippine elections.
SB 2460, Lapid said, also seeks to empower the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to regularly update the authorized campaign spending limit to reflect the changing economic situation.
“It's been more than three decades since RA 7166 was enacted, and the P3 to P10 peso campaign expenses limit per voter is worthless now,” Lapid said.
Realistically, the senator pointed out that the cost of various campaign-related activities—including advertising, transportation and campaign materials—has increased over the years.
“But updating these allowable expenses, we aim to make the campaign budget more realistic and reflective of the prevailing prices of goods and services,” he stressed, adding that lawmakers have been pushing for the proposal since the 16th Congress.
“By adjusting the allowable expenses to align with current economic realities, we intend to minimize, if not eliminate, any motivation to falsify campaign expenditure reports,” he also pointed out.
The bill also authorizes the Comelec, in consultation with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), to adjust the campaign expense cap per registered voter based on the inflation rate and consumer price index.