TRACKER: Candidates who spent the most in 2022, based on their SOCEs

Rappler’s private tally reveals President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano spent in all probability essentially the most funds of their respective 2022 races. Senator Mark Villar, within the meantime, dug deepest into his pocket.

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spent in all probability essentially the most amongst all candidates for the 2022 elections, based on Rappler’s tally of statements of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs) of 62 aspirants for president, vice chairman, and senator.

As earlier reported, Marcos’ expenditures totaled over P623 million, all of them by the use of cash or in-kind contributions. He claimed he did not use any of his non-public money to mount his Malacañang bid.

Out of all nationwide aspirants, it was billionaire’s son and now-senator Mark Villar who dug deepest into his pocket, spending over P131 million of his private money on his advertising marketing campaign.

Rappler breaks down the expenditures of these aspirants per nationwide publish.

Presidential candidates

Based totally on partial copies of SOCEs launched to the media by the Charge on Elections’ (Comelec) advertising marketing campaign finance office on Wednesday, July 13, former vice chairman Leni Robredo was the second highest advertising marketing campaign spender, with expenditures amounting to P388 million.

Out of the seven presidential candidates who submitted their SOCEs on time, world-renowned boxer and former senator Manny Pacquiao spent in all probability essentially the most of his non-public money for his advertising marketing campaign (P62 million).

Vice presidential candidates

The perfect spender among the many many vice presidential bets was moreover the eventual winner of the race: Sara Duterte.

She spent P216 million for her advertising marketing campaign, adopted by now former senators Vicente Sotto III (P157 million) and Francis Pangilinan (P130 million). Like Marcos, Duterte claimed no non-public money was spent to jumpstart her vice presidential aspirations.

Sotto used P49 million of his private money to vie for the vice presidency, the perfect among the many many eight candidates who submitted their SOCEs on time.

Senatorial candidates

Now-senator Alan Peter Cayetano logged the perfect expenditures – over P245 million – out of 47 senatorial candidates whose clear copies of SOCEs have been equipped by the Comelec.

Defeated candidates Richard Gordon and Jejomar Binay ranked second and third, respectively.

On the very least 9 senators shelled out minimal eight-digit figures from their very personal banks to finance their bids for the upper chamber, with Villar topping the file at P131 million. Subsequent to him have been Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro (P67 million), Rodante Marcoleta (P54 million), Herbert Bautista (P44 million), and Raffy Tulfo (P38 million).

The best 12 spenders inside the senatorial race have been all seasoned politicians who’ve held nationwide posts sooner than.

Caveat

For the 2022 elections, there was a P674-million cap that presidential and vice presidential aspirants can benefit from to woo voters by means of the advertising marketing campaign interval (67.4 million complete registered voters multiplied by P10, which is the mixture amount they could spend for every voter for an election advertising marketing campaign).

It is rather vital take phrase that SOCEs cowl payments solely by means of the advertising marketing campaign interval, as aspirants for elective posts weren’t however thought-about “candidates” sooner than February 8. Due to this candidates are technically allowed to transcend the spending cap until the start of the advertising marketing campaign interval.

As an example, from January 2021 to March 2022, Marcos and his closest rival, then-outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo, topped advert spending on mainstream media amongst presidential aspirants, each logging P1.4 billion worth of commercials, based mostly on the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

One different PCIJ report in January acknowledged Marcos did not report advert spending on Fb, nevertheless the Advert Library “would not factor how quite a bit candidates spent to provide the commercials and funds to social media consultants who managed their accounts.” 

It is robust to learn the way reliable candidates are of their advertising marketing campaign spending.

The Nationwide Residents’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) as quickly as referred to as for reforms to crack down on overspending candidates, equal to periodic submitting of contribution experiences, and a pre-audit of candidates.

The Approved Neighborhood for Truthful Elections has moreover advocated for a elevate inside the spending prohibit, given that current ones have been in place and have remained unchanged since 1991. – MR

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