Palace denies Duterte overspent in 2016 polls

March 3, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte did not overspend when he ran for president in the 2016 elections, Malacañang said on Monday.

In an interview, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said those who believe Duterte violated the election law for alleged overspending could just file a case against him.

However, a sitting president is immune from any suit as provided in the Constitution.

"The President is always open... every time he’s being accused. You file a case if what you're saying is true," Panelo, also the presidential legal counsel, said.

However, he added, "He (Duterte) has not violated any law and he will not. He enforces the law."

In a statement, poll group Kontra Daya urged the Commission on Elections to investigate Duterte's 2016 campaign spending.

It cited that during the Senate hearing last February 24 on ABS-CBN franchise, it was raised that the Duterte camp bought from the giant network "a total of ₱182 million in commercial spots, split into ₱117 million for national ads — which were all aired — and ₱65 million in local ads, which would target audience in a specific province."

About P7 million worth of local ads were unaired, which means that the Duterte camp spent roughly P175 million for ABS-CBN alone, it said.

Based on the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures submitted to the Comelec, the group noted the Duterte camp reportedly declared about P110 million in total campaign ad spending.

"Comparing this information to the one provided by ABS-CBN, Duterte is likely to have overspent," it said.

Panelo accused Kontra Daya of just engaging in speculation, noting that if Duterte violated the law, the Comelec should have investigated him. Celerina Monte/DMS