MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified 21 contractors who may have contributed to the campaigns of senatorial and congressional candidates in the 2025 elections, Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Saturday. “As of today, we have identified 21 contractors who may have contributed to the campaigns of senatorial and congressional candidates in the 2025 elections,” Garcia said in an interview. “We will still have to confirm with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) if these contractors indeed have ongoing government projects.” Garcia said the names surfaced during the poll body’s review of the Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) filed by candidates after the 2025 elections. The investigation aims to determine whether the donations came from individuals or from corporations with active contracts with the government, which would constitute a violation of election laws. The number of contractors under scrutiny has grown from nine earlier this week, Garcia noted. However, he clarified that the 21 contractors did not directly correspond with the 21 candidates, since some politicians reportedly received multiple contributions from different donors. “These 21 may represent around six or seven candidates,” he said. “Once we verify the information with the DPWH, we will make the findings public.” Garcia said that the Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department was leading the investigation, which covers donations made during the 2025 election period. The poll body has also written to the DPWH to verify whether the identified contributors held public works contracts at the time of their reported donations. Under the Omnibus Election Code, government contractors are prohibited from donating to political candidates or parties to avoid conflicts of interest. Garcia added that the Comelec would complete its validation of the SOCEs of senatorial and congressional candidates “by next week,” after which formal notices may be sent to both the contractors and the politicians involved. “We are doing this in the interest of transparency,” he said, noting that the Comelec intends to make campaign finance records more accessible to the public and the media once the review is finished.