Malacañang was quick to announce that President Arroyo kept her campaign expenditures within the P420-million limit set by law for the presidential race. Everyone had a good laugh over that one – possibly even the Malacañang official who made the announcement. Unless anyone can come up with evidence to disprove that statement, however, the declaration of expenditures stays. The President had conducted her campaign within the gray area inhabited by all incumbent public officials seeking election, where the line between campaigning and governance is blurred.
The President is hardly unique in her declaration. Just as top-caliber accountants can make Imelda Marcos the poorest member of the House of Representatives when she was still a part of that chamber, candidates with good accountants can submit declarations of campaign contributions and expenditures that can withstand the test of law, if not honesty. No sane candidate will submit a declaration that can be used against him for violation of election spending rules. As the Comelec warned, violators face disbarment from public office, including the post that the candidate won in the May 10 elections. But first guilt must be established. And Philippine politicians and their supporters learned a long time ago that inability to sign one’s name can be a virtue, so it’s often impossible to find a paper trail that can prove guilt.
How do we promote transparency in campaign spending? The rules can be revised and spending limits increased to more realistic levels, so that candidates need not fudge their declarations. Or lawmakers could finally tackle proposals for campaign finance reforms. But that could mean killing the goose that lays the golden egg for lawmakers, so don’t expect significant changes in the next elections.