AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism published beginning Tuesday revealed how candidates, political parties, and their contributors have skirted election laws against illegal campaign contributions.
While election laws are clear in barring certain sectors from making campaign contributions in order to avoid conflicts of interest and undue influence on elected officials, many donors and donees skirt the rule by having owners or officers of these companies contribute in a personal capacity.
Poll analysts have complained that this still violates the spirit of the law, since it is impossible to separate the interests of the owner of a company from the interests of the company.
In interviews with Commissioners Christian Robert Lim and Luie Guia, Comelec officials cite the reasons for the prohibitions on certain contributors, and how some loopholes in the law still need to be plugged in order to address these issues.