Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

3838

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by: HONORABLE HENRY S. OAMINAL

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to increase the authorized campaign expenditures of
candidates and political parties to a more realistic level in order to make
more accurate, truthful and appropriate the statement of contributions
and expenditures (SOCE) that they will submit to the Commission on
Elections (COMELEC).

Republic Act No. 7166 explicitly provides limitations upon the
expenses of candidates and of political parties as follows:

For President and Vice-President -. Ten pesos
(P10.00); for other candidates, Three pesos (P3.00) for every
voter currently registered in the constituency where he filed
his candidacy; and for a candidate without any political
party and without support from any political party - Five
pesos (P5.00) for every such voter; and

For political parties — Five pesos (P5.00) for every
voter currently registered in the constituency or
constituencies where it has official candidates.

It is worthy to consider that the purchasing power of the Philippine
peso has continuously diminished from the time Republic Act No. 7166
took effect twenty five (25) years ago or in 1991 to be exact up to the
present time due to numerous economic factors.

Based on a recent computation by an economist as reported in the
national dailies, the value of one (1) Philippine peso in 1991 was
equivalent to P3.41 in 2013 or our one (1) Philippine peso in 2013 was
equivalent to P0.29 in 1991 based on Consumer Price Index. There is @
need therefore, considering the time and economic’ factors, to increase
the authorized campaign expenditures for the positions of President and
Vice-President from P10.00 to P50.00, for other candidates from P3.00 to
P20.00 and for political parties from P5.00 to P25.00.


‘The loud and growing clamour to adjust the poll spending cap did
not only come from the candidates, political parties and COMELEC but
even from international election observers. In fact, Pro-democracy non
government organization (NGO), Carter Center, which was one of
gevsrnational observers during the recently 2016 National and Local
Elections noted the “unrealistically low” spending limits for candidates
and political parties in the country. The Center, in its report, viewed that
call emission interlocutors agree that the spending limits imposed on
election campaigns are unrealistically low, and that candidates are in
effect forced to file false declarations of expenses as a result.”

‘The foregoing reasons warrant the immeliate apprpval of this bill.

ATTY. o
Representative
Second District, Misantis Occidental


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
3838

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by: HONORABLE HENRY S. OAMINAL —

AN ACT
INCREASING THE AUTHORIZED CAMPAIGN EXPENSES OF
CANDIDATES AND POLITICAL PARTIES, AMENDING FOR THE
PURPOSE SECTION 13 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7166, ENTITLED, “AN
ACT PROVIDING FOR SYCHRONIZED NATIONAL AND LOCAL
ELECTIONS AND FOR ELECTORAL REFORMS, APPROPRIATING
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of
Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 13 of Republic Act No. 7166 is hereby
amended to read as follows:

“Sec. 13. Authorized Expenses of Candidates and
Political Parties. - The aggregate amount that a candidate
or registered political party may spend for election campaign
shall be as follows:

For candidates. - [Ten] FIFTY pesos {(P10.00)]
(P50.00) for President and Vice-President; and for other
candidates, [Three] TWENTY pesos [(P3.00)] (P20.00) for
every voter currently registered in the constituency where he
filed his candidacy; Provided, That a candidate without any
political party and without support from any political party
may be allowed to spend TWENTY Five pesos [(P5.00)]
(P25.00) for every such voter; and

For political parties. - TWENTY Five pesos [(P5.00)]
(P25.00) for every voter currently registered in the
constituency or constituencies where it has official
candidates.


Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding
any contribution in cash or in kind to any candidate or
political party or coalition of parties for campaign purposes,
duly reported to the Commission shall not be subject to the
payment of any gift tax.” .

SEC. 2. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) shall issue the
necessary rules and regulations to implement this Act.

SEC. 3. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended,
repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation.

Approved,