Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Wednesday, Sept. 10, said candidates in the recent elections who allegedly received campaign funds from government contractors should, at the very least, explain the matter, noting that the law prohibits such contributions.

“Sana nag-ingat, mahirap nga naman, baka di nila alam na may ganung kabawalan pero bawal yun e (They should have been careful; it’s understandable that maybe they didn’t know there was such a prohibition, but it’s still prohibited),” Sotto said when asked about candidates tagged in receiving donations from firms with government dealings.

The Senate leader clarified that he himself did not receive such funds, even stating that he had to cover so many expenses out of his own pocket.

Sotto explained that the prohibition is clear under election rules.

“Kasi may kabawalan, bawal ang ganito, bawal tumanggap sa corporation or personalities who are having transaction with government (Because there’s a restriction — it’s not allowed to accept from corporations or individuals who have transactions with the government)," he said.

"Yun lang kumakain kaming government officials sa restaurant tapos may magpiprisinta na babayaran ang kinain mo, kapag may transaksyon sa gobyerno bawal ‘yun. At di lang sya ang bawal pati ako na tatanggap bawal (It’s like when we government officials eat at a restaurant and someone offers to pay for our meal — if that person has transactions with the government, that’s not allowed. And it’s not just them who are prohibited; I, as the one accepting, am also not allowed),” he added.

Asked if the matter could be investigated by the Senate ethics committee, Sotto said it would depend on whether a formal complaint is filed either from a fellow senator or from an ordinary citizen.

He acknowledged that such a case could be grounds for an ethics complaint, even without final findings from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“Oo meron naman talagang posibilidad diyan kasi kami naman namang senador we're open for public scrutiny since before kahit na ngayon, basta merong nag-cocomplaint sa isang senador sinasabi namin magfile ng complaint sa ethics committee (Yes, there’s always that possibility because we senators have always been open to public scrutiny, even now. As long as there’s a complaint against a senator, we say they should file it with the ethics committee),” he said.

For now, however, Sotto said no complaint has reached the Senate ethics panel yet, also noting that he has not received any formal letter from the Comelec regarding the issue, although he understands that an investigation is underway.