Comelec to publish list of gov’t contractors who donated to 2022 bets

Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia — Photo from Comelec/Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said that it will publicize the list of contractors who donated to candidates in the 2022 elections, once they are confirmed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to have secured contracts with the government.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said that the Comelec is still waiting for the validation from the DPWH on who among the 54 contractors had contracts with the government.

He reiterated that government contractors are not allowed to fund campaigns of election candidates as this is a violation of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).

“We will publish everything as long as we have confirmation from the DPWH that the contractors who donated [to poll bets] are public works contractors. We are just waiting for the confirmation from the DPWH, and we can publicize who among them are in the list of 54 contractors in the 2022 national and local elections,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.

READ: 3 out of 15 Marcos-named flood control contractors donated to 2022 poll bets

In line with this, Garcia said that once they confirm who among the list are government contractors, they will issue show cause orders to them and to the candidates who benefited from their donations.

Section 95(c) of the OEC states that “[n]o contribution for purposes of partisan political activity shall be made directly or indirectly by any of the following: (c) natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or subcontracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions, or instrumentalities with goods or services, or to perform construction or other works.”

The last part of Section 95 also states that “[i]t shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or receive any contribution from any of the persons or entities enumerated herein.”

Garcia also said that the poll body is willing to assist the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) in its investigation on anomalies in government infrastructure projects.

“For ICI, if they ask for help and our evidence, we are willing to provide that to them,” Garcia said.

He also said that the poll body can publicize the list of government contractors who donated to election candidates even without the mandate of the ICI or any government agencies.

READ: Garcia: 26 contractors so far donated to campaign of May 2025 poll bets

“The Comelec is an independent constitutional body and we are mandated to file cases, investigate, and later on file cases to those who will violate the Omnibus Election Code. We don’t need to consult anyone else,” he explained.

Garcia earlier said that the Comelec’s purpose is to prosecute if the individuals are criminally charged. He added that they may face one to six years of imprisonment, and the candidates may face perpetual disqualification from holding public office if proven to be guilty by final judgment.

Garcia also shared that the poll body has found out so far that 26 contractors pitched in to the campaign of around 14 candidates in the 2025 midterm elections.

However, they are still reviewing the statements of contribution and expenditure of all candidates last elections to request another validation from the DPWH if the contractors had ties with the government. /das