Comelec wants candidates to report fees for tapped celebrities, influencers | ABS-CBN

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Comelec wants candidates to report fees for tapped celebrities, influencers

Comelec wants candidates to report fees for tapped celebrities, influencers

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

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Comelec Chair George Garcia shows a sample of the electronic ballot during the Local Source Code Review of the Automated Election Systems (AES) at the Circuit Corporation One building in Makati city on October 11, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said it is eyeing to include talent fees of celebrities and influencers in the campaign expenditures of candidates in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.

Under the proposed policy, candidates will be required to declare in their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) how much they paid any endorser, including those whose services were donated by family, friends or supporters, Comelec Chairman George Garcia told reporters.

“Wag sana sabihin ng ibang masasagasaan na napaka istrikto naman ng Comelec kasi ‘yun ang purpose namin: to ensure equal opportunity,” he said.

“Kung mag-aavail kayo ng influencers, magbayad kayo ng tamang buwis… Tingnan natin kung compliant pa ba sa P3 o P5 na required ng ating batas?” he said.

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“Kung donation yun ng isang celebrity, kailangan may equivalent 'yun. Kapag ikaw ay nag contribute, papipirmahin ka ng form, magkano, et cetera… Pero dapat ilagay ang pangalan mo sa SOCE,” he added.

The Comelec will automatically presume that all celebrities and influencers who endorsed a candidate received some form of payment, Garcia said.

“It’s up to you to defend yourself… Kung 'yan ay iko-consider namin as valid defense, nasa amin 'yun,” he said.

The Comelec expects to finalize the policy before the start of the official campaign period on February 11, Garcia said, noting that all SOCEs would be eventually published on the Comelec’s website.

“Dapat malaman ng sambayanan, sino ang mag-donate, sino ang nagbigay… saan kinuha ang pera na pang gastos,” he said.

“Nararapat lang yan dahil may nagrereport ng tama, may nagre-report ng marami na tayong dinisqualify dahil sa maling pagrereport ng SOCE,” he said.

“Ang radyo, TV, nagrereport kung magkano ang kinikita nila… Bakit kapag social media, wala kaming regulasyon? Covered din sila ng Fair Elections Act,” he said. 

Two Comelec commissioners are expected to retire before the May 2025 elections, but Garcia — a former election lawyer — said that they could still sign resolutions before their official retirement day.

For more news and features on Philippine elections, visit the ABS-CBN News' Halalan 2025 page.

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Maximum SRP of imported rice to be lowered further to P49/kilo

Maximum SRP of imported rice to be lowered further to P49/kilo

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

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A worker arranges sacks of rice at a local rice store in Quezon City, October 4, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

For the fourth time in a span of six weeks, the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice will be further lowered to P49/kilo starting March 1, Saturday.

This is the first time that the MSRP on imported rice will be below the P50-mark.

However, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. clarified that the MSRP will not be implemented nationwide.

Instead, the Department of Agriculture will take a more 'surgical' approach, imposing the MSRP selectively in Metro Manila and other urban centers.

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“In many provincial areas, we’ve seen prices of imported rice already lower than the MSRP. So we will apply it more selectively,” he said.

On its first implementation, the initial price was P58/kilo. This meant that the MSRP has been lowered by P9/kilo in more than a month.

The DA says this is a "non-coercive measure aimed at steering retail prices of imported rice to reflect the steady decline in world market prices."

Prior to the introduction of the MSRP, imported rice that are 5 percent broken were sold between P62 and P64 per kilo.

“We will review the numbers in the coming days to determine if there's room to lower the MSRP further. As of now, there could be scope for additional reductions, but we’ll have to see,” Tiu Laurel said.

Agricultural group SINAG said it welcomes the lowering of MSRP for imported rice.

"Konte na lang, we would reach the ideal price of ₱40-45/kilo of imported rice," said SINAG Executive Director Jayson Cainglet.

He said that at the current price of US$380 per metric ton of 5% broken Vietnam rice, imported rice should further go below ₱40/kilo.

"It is the right time to call for the repeal EO62 and generate revenues from imported rice that is earmarked to directly support our rice farmers," Cainglet added.

Global rice prices have plummeted significantly, dropping by US$146/mt from US$568 on July 10, 2024, to US$380/mt this month.

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