By Edalyn B. Acta
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has perpetually disqualified a former Sangguniang Bayan (SB) member of the Municipality of Dumarao from holding public office.
Based on a Daily Tribune report, former SB member Maria Gemmarie Daquilanea can no longer run and seek any public office for failure to submit to the poll body her campaign expenses for two consecutive elections.
A Comelec ruling released on September 4, 2026 found that Daquilanea never submitted her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) during the 2019 and 2022 elections.
Daquilanea was also ordered to pay Comelec P30,000 in penalty fees. This consisted of P10,000 for the first offense in 2019 and an additional P20,000 for the second offense committed in 2022.
It was Comelec’s own Political Finance Department that filed the case against Daquilanea.
Comelec’s decision found Daquilanea to have violated Section 14 of Republic Act No. 7166 or An Act Providing for Synchronized National and Local Elections.
A 2017 ruling by the Supreme Court upheld Comelec’s decision to perpetually disqualify Joel T. Maturan, a former gubernatorial candidate in Basilan, to hold public office when he failed to submit his SOCE during the 2010 and 2013 elections.
“The penalty of perpetual disqualification to hold public office may be properly imposed on a candidate for public office who repeatedly fails to submit his SOCE,” the Supreme Court
“He succeeded in making it evident that the Comelec did not gravely abuse its discretion in imposing on the petitioner the penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office due to his repeated violation of Section 14 of R.A. No. 7166,” the Supreme Court noted in General Register (GR) No. 227155 dated March 28, 2017.
