Comelec: Chiz affidavit says he thought P30M was ’private fund’

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero —SENATE SMU

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Chiz Escudero claimed that he only accepted the P30-million donation from a contractor during his 2022 election campaign, believing that the money came from a “private fund.”

His explanation was contained in the affidavit that his legal counsel submitted before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), its chairman George Garcia said on Tuesday.

In an interview with reporters, Garcia confirmed that Escudero’s legal counsel had already filed an affidavit Tuesday morning.

When asked about the content of the affidavit, Garcia said that, just like what Escudero was previously saying in recent interviews, he explained that he accepted the donation from contractor Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., for the belief that it was a private fund and that he is also friends with him.

“That is what he is saying publicly in interviews, that he really accepted it in his belief that it was a private fund, and in a personal capacity as an acquaintance, a friend of Mr. Lubiano,” the Comelec chair noted.

“For us, we will weigh that. We will find out if that is a sufficient defense or a violation of our existing law in Section 95C of the Omnibus Election Code,” he said.

READ: Escudero’s lawyer files affidavit explaining P30-M campaign donation

Reporters were trying to get the full copy of the affidavit that Escudero’s legal counsel submitted before the Comelec, but his office only sent a screenshot of the first page as of posting time.

The Omnibus Election Code, particularly Section 95, prohibits contribution from any public or private institution, including contractors, to any political candidate or political party.

Meanwhile, in a statement sent to reporters on Tuesday, Escudero’s legal counsel, Atty. Ramon Esguerra, confirmed that he filed the affidavit “to respect the Comelec process.”

“Our position is clear: The donation was legal, fully declared, and follows long-standing practice. The law is on our side, and we are confident the Comelec will find no fault,” Esguerra said.

READ: Chiz Escudero welcomes Comelec show-cause order: ‘No law violated’

Comelec had earlier issued a show cause order to Escudero, directing him to explain the P30-million campaign donation he received from Lubiano during the 2022 elections.

Escudero earlier released a statement to welcome Comelec’s show cause order, as he insisted that “no law has been violated” on the said campaign donation.

The senator likewise recently confirmed that Centerways Construction donated P30 million for his campaign but argued that the company was not able to secure any flood control projects from the government. /apl /gsg