Bulatlat.com

The Cost of Taking Power
Presidential candidates allowed to spend “only” P189 M or P303 M

The candidate who wins the presidency of the country stands to earn only P50,000 (or $903, based on exchange rate of P55.36 per US dollar) monthly or P3.6 million ($65,028) for the entire six-year term. He or she, however, is allowed by law to spend P189.5 million (or $3.4 million, independent) or P303.2 million (or $5.5 million, with political party).

The increase in kidnapping and bank robberies is not just blamed on the financial pressures that go with the Christmas celebration, but also the electoral season. Analysts say that running for office entails billions of pesos at one’s disposal. Candidates and their supporters therefore need to raise funds in whatever means possible.

Only a few are aware, however, that there is a limit to electoral spending. According to Section 13 of Republic Act No. 7176 (An Act Providing for the Synchronized National and Local Elections), independent candidates are allowed to spend P5 per voter.

Those with political parties can spend P3 ($0.05, based on exchange rate of P55.36 per US dollar) per voter, and their political parties (including party-list groups), P5 ($0.09) per voter. This means that party candidates, with financial support from their political parties, can actually spend a total of P8 ($0.14) per voter.

If movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. finally decides to run for president as an independent, he cannot go beyond the allowable campaign expenditure of P189.5 million ($3.4 million). Other presidential aspirants affiliated with a political party, namely President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former Education Secretary Raul Roco, can spend up to P303.2 million ($5.5 million). (See Table)

It is ironic to think that the candidate who wins the presidency stands to earn only P50,000 ($903) a month but is willing spend up to P189.5 million ($3.4 million) or P303.2 million ($5.5 million). Simple arithmetic shows that his or her total gross income for the entire six-year term will only amount to P3.6 million ($65,028).

Those who are running for senator must also be prepared to shell out that amount, since they are also campaigning nationwide.

At the provincial level, a local candidate in Batanes has the lowest allowable expenditure since the number of registered voters is only 8,198 as of July 2002. This means that the campaign expenditure ceiling amounts to P40,990 (or $740, independent) and P65,584 ($1,185, with political party).

Meanwhile, a candidate for governor in Cebu has the highest allowable expenditure. He or she can spend up to P8.5 million ($154,170 as independent) or P13.7 million ($246,672 as political party candidate) given the 1.7 million registered voters in that province.

When he ran in 1998, ousted President Joseph Estrada declared that he spent only P118.5 million ($2.1 million), based on the campaign expenditure report he submitted to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Of this amount, P116.4 million ($2.1 million) came from contributions.

According to a 2001 study by IBON Foundation, however, Estrada “actually received more than P2 billion ($36.1 million) in campaign contributions from big businessmen (who later became his cronies), aside from the huge resources (manpower, facilities, etc.) mobilized to promote his campaign.”

The same study quoted former Cavite Governor Juanito Remulla as saying that he spent P200 million ($3.6 million) to keep his post. Interestinly, Cavite’s registered voters number 1,056,015 as of July 2002, which means that the campaign expenditure ceiling should only be P5.3 million ($95,377 as independent) and P8.4 million ($152,603 as political party candidate).

Unlike before, the COMELEC said that the submission of election-related expenses to its office is now optional and is therefore not a prerequisite to taking one’s oath of office.

This therefore makes it much harder for concerned groups and individuals to monitor actual expenditures when the 2004 national and local elections roll around.

Be that as it may, the campaign expenditure ceiling already points to the glaring fact that national elections are reduced to a game confined only to those with massive financial resources. Bulatlat.com

How Much Are Candidates Allowed to Spend? (in Philippine peso)
		Campaign Expenditure in Ceiling in Philippine Peso
Region	Registered Voters a/	Independent	With Political Party
NCR	5,267,732	26,338,660	42,141,856
CAR	668,789	3,343,945	5,350,312
Region I (Ilocos)	2,117,839	10,589,195	16,942,712
Region II (Cagayan Valley)	1,320,314	6,601,570	10,562,512
Region III (Central Luzon)	4,074,911	20,374,555	32,599,288
Region IV (Southern Tagalog)	5,733,920	28,669,600	45,871,360
Region V (Bicol)	2,172,446	10,862,230	17,379,568
Region VI (Western Visayas)	3,112,311	15,561,555	24,898,488
Region VII (Central Visayas)	2,853,122	14,265,610	22,824,976
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)	1,899,183	9,495,915	15,193,464
Region IX (Western Mindanao)	1,409,456	7,047,280	11,275,648
Region X (Northern Mindanao)	1,761,701	8,808,505	14,093,608
Region XI (Southern Mindanao)	1,777,054	8,885,270	14,216,432
Region XII (Central Mindanao)	1,485,373	7,426,865	11,882,984
CARAGA	1,054,476	5,272,380	8,435,808
ARMM	1,191,549	5,957,745	9,532,392

Philippines	37,900,176	189,500,880	303,201,408
Sources: Republic Act No. 7176; COMELEC Election Statistics, retrieved from http://www.comelec.gov.ph/stats/2002bgysk_bgydata_txt.html
a/ as of 4 July 2002 (data prepared for the 15 July 2002 Barangay Elections)

How Much Are Candidates Allowed to Spend? (in Philippine peso)

How Much Are Candidates Allowed to Spend?
(in Philippine peso)