Comelec: P12 billion inserted for plebiscites, referendums in 2024 budget still intact

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said that the P12 billion budget allocated for plebiscites and referendums which was inserted during the bicameral conference committee meeting on the then-2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) remained untouched.

This was disclosed by Comelec Chairman George Garcia at a Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation hearing as Senator Imee Marcos again questioned the sudden inclusion of the P12 billion in the final version of the 2024 national budget.

“Wala pa po kaming nagagamit sa P12 billion,” Garcia said.

Garcia made the remark as Marcos warned that the Comelec might commit malversation of funds if the P12 billion would be used for election preparations when the funds were earmarked for the conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes, and plebiscites.

Asked how the Comelec would use the funds, Garcia said P1 billion would be used to augment the P400 million budget for the procurement of transmission services, overtime pay for Comelec employees who will work during and after the elections, and the information campaign for the use of the new machines for the 2025 polls.

According to Garcia, around P6 to P8 billion of the P12 billion would be used for these purposes.

The excess from the said amount would be declared as savings.

“As correctly pointed out by the honorable chairperson, it may form part later on of the savings of the commission or whatever will be spent for the purposes of making an award, ‘yung matitipid sa procurement,” Garcia said.

These savings can be used to build Comelec local offices, Garcia said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News