How Much Did Bongbong Marcos' Party Spend During the Campaign?
After a landslide victory in which he received more than 31 million votes, President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. is set to have his oath-taking ceremony as the country's next president on June 30 at the National Museum.
But before that, his party, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), will be filing the campaign's Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) before the June 8 deadline.
According to PFP general counsel Atty. George Briones, PFP spent P272 million for the campaign, which is well below the maximum expenditure of P337 million allowed by law for a national political party.
Under the Election Code and other rules, the SOCE is the final Commission on Elections (COMELEC) requirement from the party. PFP's SOCE was signed and prepared by National Treasurer Antonio Ernesto “Anton” Lagdameo, who will soon be serving as Special Assistant to the President.
The SOCE, however, only records costs during the campaign period.
Insights from a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) show that Marcos Jr. and Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo were the top ad spenders on mainstream media among presidential candidates. The two candidates had each spent P1.4 billion worth of ads from January 2021 to March 2022.
