Thread by @rapplerdotcom

Paano magbibigay ng donasyon sa kampanya? Ano-ano – at magkano – ang maaaring ibigay, ang bawal, at limitasyon? Pag-uusapan ito nina Rappler investigative editor @miriamgracego at election lawyer @13thFool sa episode na ito ng #AskYourElectionLawyer.

@miriamgracego @13thFool ‘Pag sinabing donasyon sa kampanya, ito ba ay laging pera?

@13thFool: We have to understand the nature of campaign financing. Demokrasya tayo: regardless of your status, may karapatan kang tumakbo sa isang elective position.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: This would mean na kahit wala kang pera, puwede ka ring tumakbo. In order to level the playing field, ina-allow ng batas na mag-receive ka ng contribution.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: ‘Yung ibang tao, puwedeng mag-ambag sa’yo ng pera para puwede kang makipag-compete doon sa mga kandidatong may pera, o galing sa isang politcal dynasty na well-financed.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Ano ba ang puwedeng i-contribute? Sa ilalim ng batas, there are two kinds of contribution: cash donation and in-kind donation. Any contribution other than money is considered in-kind.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: All of these, either cash or in-kind, are treated as contribution. And under our campaign finance rules, ang candidates ay obligadong ideklara ito sa kanyang statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE).

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Lahat ng puwedeng matanggap ng kandidato, dapat ilista at i-submit sa Comelec. Apart from the SOCE requirement, obligado rin ang donor at ang kandidato na mag-execute ng report of contribution.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: [Sa report of contribution] nakasulat kung magkano ‘yung na-contribute at saka ‘yung kandidato, dapat magbigay ng resibo sa donor. Pareho po itong ni-rereport sa Comelec.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@miriamgracego: Bukod sa ginagamit ang [report of contribution] para ma-track ng Comelec kung ilan ‘yung perang pumasok sa kandidato, ito ba ay nagagamit para maging tax exempt ang nag-donate?

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Yes. Ito ‘yung weakness ng batas. Meron tayong campaign cap limit as regards expenditures, pero wala tayong cap limit as regards contribution.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Kunwari P50 million ang cap limit for expenditure, pero tumanggap ka ng P100 million. Meron ka ngayong net difference na P50 million. Ang sinasabi ng batas, dapat ideklara mo ito as income after elections at bayaran ang income tax.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Now ano ang problema dito? Contribution made in the context of a campaign, and after mo ma-comply lahat ng documentary requirements for a valid donation, ito po ay tax-free. Hindi ito pinapatawan ng 6% donor’s tax.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Puwedeng maabuso ito in such a way na gamitin ‘yung campaign contribution para magkaroon tayo ng tax-free donation.

@miriamgracego: Puwede ring money laundering…. Puwede nilang ibigay sa’kin ang pera nila para hindi nata-tax-an.

@miriamgracego @13thFool Mahirap ba ang accounting ng campaign donations?

.@13thFool: Magiging donor’s tax-free lang the moment na dumaan sa proseso ng proper donation. ‘Pag hindi ito dumaan sa documentary requirements, ito ay invalid donation.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Dahil dumadaan ito sa proseso, napakadaling ma-monitor…. However, balik doon sa problema na walang limitasyon as regards maximum amount na puwedeng tanggapin as contribution.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Because of this problem, meron tayo ngayong issue na tama ba ‘yung approach ng batas, o ng BIR, na sisingilin mo lang ay income tax notwithstanding na may excess? Ito ‘yung puwede nating pag-aralan after this election.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Because if I were to suggest, dapat ‘yung proper rule dito is whatever campaign contribution in excess of what was spent, dapat po pagbayarin ‘yung kandidato ng donor’s tax para maiwasan ‘yung possibility of circumvention ng batas.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: But as of now, wala po itong regulasyon. In other words, hindi po ilegal na itatago ng kandidato ‘yung sobra at i-declare na income.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: In other words, kahit na cinicriticize natin si Erap o si Mayor Isko, at the end of the day, hindi ito bawal dahil walang requirement sa batas na dapat isauli ito.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: This is more of a question of is it moral, is it a matter of delicadeza, but legally speaking, what they did is perfectly legal so long as they pay the income tax. May karapatan silang itago ito at hindi ibalik ang excess contribution.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@miriamgracego: Meron tayong cap ng puwedeng i-spend ng kandidato. Alam natin na much higher ang cost ng campaigning ngayon, and definitely ‘yung donors, ‘yun ang tinatapatang halaga. Paano nare-reconcile ‘yon nang hindi ka nagmumukhang umiikot sa batas?

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: RA 7166 was passed in 1991, so this was 1991 standards. Can you imagine kung gaano na katagal ‘yon from 1991 to 2022. And if you account the inflation rate, alam mo na may mali doon sa rate na nilagay sa batas.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: If you’re running for president or VP, that’s 10 pesos per registered voter whether or not may party. If we have 67 million voters for the 2022 elections, that would be P670 million cap limit for those running for pres and VP.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: If you’re running for other positions, from senator down to municipal councilor, pare-pareho po ‘yan: 3 pesos if you have a party, and 5 pesos if you are independent.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Parang ang laki ng P670M, but if you’re actually the one engaging in a campaign, hindi siya actually malaki.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: To emphasize kung gaano kaliit itong limit: let’s say merong 10,000 botante ang isang municipality. Kung P10,000 times 3 pesos, that’s only P30,000. Papaano ka mangangampanya sa isang municipality from March 25 until near election with only P30,000?

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Because unreasonable ang campaign expenditure limit…most of the candidates are forced to lie or not fully disclose or not be truthful with their declaration sa kanilang SOCE.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool Sa in-kind donations, ano-ano ang mga klase ng bagay na puwedeng i-donate? Ito ba ay dapat ideklara as election expense ng kandidato?

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Regardless of what you give, obligado ang kandidato na magbigay ng fair market value. Kung magkano ang isang sako ng bigas, kailangan i-account at dapat mag-issue ng resibo sa donor.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@miriamgracego: ‘Yung rise ng volunteerism…‘yung contribution in kind na kailangang lagyan ng fair market value para ideklara, hindi ba nade-defeat ‘yung purpose ng volunteers na kusang nagbigay? Paano i-didifferentiate ‘yon?

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Ang differentiation dito is ‘pag contribution to a candidate, dumadaan sa kandidato. ‘Yung kandidato ultimately ‘yung nagdedecide kung ano ang pagkakagastusan ng perang natanggap.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: If pure volunteer-incurred expense na hindi dumaan sa kandidato, kusang ginastos indirectly for a particular candidate, hindi po fair na i-account sa kandidato. If it is outside of the control of the candidate, paano mo ma-momonitor ‘yon?

@miriamgracego @13thFool Paano kung maliliit na ambag in cash?

.@13thFool: Actually dinidiscourage siya ng mga kandidato. The reason for that is because under the law, merong report of contribution. Required ito for anyone who gives any amount. Kahit bente pesos ‘yan.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: It doesn’t make financial sense to actually receive small amounts, from a practical side of the campaign.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: That’s why ang report of contribution (ROC), ang kanyang default mindset is lahat ng pera na ibibigay must be a huge amount of money na worth siyang pag-ukulan ng lahat ng kumplikadong documents.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Because of this, hindi po possible ang crowdfunding dahil sa limitasyon na merong notarized ROC. ‘Yan ‘yung ating pinupush na lagyan na lang ng cap limit na mag-eexecute lang ng ROC the moment na ‘yung i-dodonate mo is, let’s say, P10,000 and above.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Sa US, ang nagbibigay ng donations sa mga tumatakbo are not really the big companies. Karamihan ng nare-raise na fund ay galing sa normal na tao.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: If there are 1 million people na nagbibigay ng tigpipiso, that’s already P1 million. If you allow crowdfunding, it opens the possibility where a normal person na hindi galing sa political dynasty could compete in a national election at makipagsabayan.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: The moment we start rethinking about the requirement of ROC, it can potentially change the political landscape in the PH. Natatanggal na ‘yung money advantage ng mayayamang kandidato at mga galing sa political dynasty.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool Can supporters pool small amounts and just file a single affidavit?

.@13thFool: Hindi lang siya discouraged but it is in fact an election offense. Under the law, you have to donate under your own name. You can’t donate under the name of another person.

@miriamgracego @13thFool .@13thFool: Kung magpu-pool kayo ng tig-P100 at isa lang ‘yung mag-aappear sa ROC, you are technically donating under the name of that person. That’s an election offense at puwede kayong makulong nang 1-6 years.

#AskYourElectionLawyer:

@miriamgracego @13thFool That’s a #wRap! Panoorin ang buong episode na ito ng #AskYourElectionLawyer sa YouTube: