Comelec: 27 contractors must explain campaign donations

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said yesterday the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) issued the certification from a list of 54 names submitted by the poll body as government contractors.

He explained that the rest are not government contractors and therefore not covered by the prohibition under the Omnibus Election Code.

Instructions have already been given to the Political Finance and Affairs Department to release the show cause orders to the 27 identified contractors.

“After they respond, we will also require the candidates who received donations from the 27 contractors to explain,” Garcia said in Filipino.

Efforts are now underway to determine which candidates benefited from these campaign contributions, he added.

Garcia clarified that Lawrence Lubiano – who admitted to contributing P30 million to Sen. Chiz Escudero’s campaign – was not among those certified by the DPWH as a government contractor.

“He is not a corporation, which is why the DPWH did not include him in its certification,” he said.

Another list containing 31 contractors who donated during the May 2025 elections has been forwarded to the DPWH for verification, he added.

Voter listup suspended

In a separate announcement, voter registration activities will be suspended starting noon today (Oct. 30) until Nov. 2 in observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

The Comelec said the pause in registration is meant to honor the solemn tradition and give Filipinos time to pray for their departed loved ones.

The national voter registration period will resume after the holidays and continue until May 18, 2026, ahead of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Through the seven-month registration drive, the poll body hopes to enlist around 1.4 million new registrants nationwide. — Mayen Jaymalin