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Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero leads the 127th Independence Day celebration at the historic Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan, on Wednesday, June 12, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File



Article (news)

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero 


Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764041628859175498042935020250612-127th-independence-day-barasoain-MT18 (1).webp" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero leads the 127th Independence Day celebration at the historic Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan, on Wednesday, June 12, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA (UPDATED) -- The Commission on Elections&#x27; (Comelec) Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD) has cleared Senator Chiz Escudero over the P30 million campaign donation given by a government contractor during the 2022 elections. In a resolution released Wednesday, PFAD said contractor Lawrence Lubiano&#x27;s campaign donation did not violate a provision of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC). The Comelec department also explained that Lubiano did not have any existing contract or sub-contract with the government for the supply of goods or services nor was he even engaged in the construction of public works. &quot;He could not have committed a violation of Section 95(c) of OEC when he made (a) contribution directly to the campaign of respondent Escudero unless there is contrary evidence that would show otherwise,&quot; the PFAD said.&quot;Given that no evidence has been gathered to show the contrary, this Office is constrained to apply the law as it stands, without resorting to unwarranted assumptions or interpretations,&quot; it added. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/7/comelec-to-decide-if-p30-m-donation-to-escudero-violates-omnibus-election-code-1107">READ: Comelec to decide if P30-M donation to Escudero violates Omnibus Election Code</a></div>A personality, PFAD said, is distinct and separate from the firm, just as the department held that it is different from  its stockholders, directors, and officers. This means, it said, that Lubiano and Centerways &quot;have distinct legal entities.&quot;&quot;Consequently, the acts and obligations of the corporation cannot be imputed to its stockholders, directors, and officers. Conversely, the personal acts and obligations of the said individuals cannot be attributed to the corporation in the absence of clear and convincing proof of bad faith, fraud, or malice i n using the separate and distinct personality of the corporation,&quot; the resolution read. &quot;No evidence gathered so far that would establish that he acted merely as an instrumentality or alter ego of the corporation to perpetrate fraud  or commit any act prohibited under Sec. 95 (c) of OEC,&quot; it added. Since no violation was committed by Lubiano, the PFAD said it &quot;necessarily follows that the subsequent acceptance of contribution by respondent Escudero for his election campaign suffers no legal impediment.&quot; &quot;This Office concurs that &#x27;Mr. Lubiano is not Centerways and Centerways is not Mr. Lubiano,&#x27;&quot; the PFAD said. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/21/comelec-probes-alleged-donations-from-contractors-to-6-senate-bets-1100">READ: Comelec probes alleged donations from contractors to 6 Senate bets</a></div>Commissioner Rey Bulay, the commissioner-in-charge for the discussion, said there was no evidence pointing that Lubiano even used his company for the campaign donation. &quot;Kung ginamit ng centerways si Mr. Lubiano para makapag-donate. So basically if it is a board, naghanap sila ng ebidensya doon like a board resolution allocating 30 million pesos to donate. Wala eh. Wala kasing ebidensya na ganun. Yun nga lang nag-overextend na kami dun e,&quot; Bulay told reporters.He noted that there was no &quot;political and prohibited contribution&quot; that happened.&quot;Personal na donation ni Mr. Lubiano na tinanggap ni Senator Escudero. Yun ang naging desisyon… Personal na tao ang nag-donate, hindi ang korporasyon kaya ganun,&quot; the commissioner said. &quot;[Section] 95-C [ng] batas na ating pinapagana sa bagay na yan, na bawal ang natural, juridical persons na mayroong kontrata sa gobyerno na magbigay ng kontribusyon o tatanggap ng kontribusyon. So basically ang nag-contribute as declared by Senator Escudero is Mr. Lubiano, si Mr. Lubiano, doon na rin sa certification ng DPWH ay hindi contractor ng gobyerno on his own,&quot; he added.The Comelec on Sept. 11 launched the motu proprio inquiry following President Ferdinand Marco Jr.&#x27;s revelation that Centerways Construction and Development – where Lubiano is president – was among the contractors that got billions worth of infrastructure projects in recent years.Lubiano is Escudero&#x27;s largest campaign donor in 2022. This was also pointed out in the Comelec resolution. He had said the donations came from his own personal money and not from government contracts.In a statement, Escudero said the Comelec&#x27;s decision showed he has always been transparent and the donation followed current regulations. This, he said, would allow him to continue serving the public with integrity and accountability. &quot;The Commission on Elections decision affirms what we have always believed and practiced—that transparency, honesty, and adherence to the rules matter, and that the truth prevails when the process is fair,&quot; said the senator. Article 11 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits contributions from &quot;natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government with goods or services or to perform construction.&quot;<div></div>

The Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Political Finance and Affairs Department has cleared Senator Chiz Escudero over the P30 million campaign donation given by a government contractor during the 2022 elections.

The Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Political Finance and Affairs Department has cleared Senator Chiz Escudero over the P30 million campaign donation given by a government contractor during the 2022 elections.

‘No evidence’: Comelec dep’t clears Escudero over P30-M campaign donation

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‘No evidence’: Comelec dep’t clears Escudero over P30-M campaign donation

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 26, 2025 12:55 PM PHT

|

Updated Nov 26, 2025 05:45 PM PHT

Read More:

Comelec

Commission on Elections

Chiz Escudero

Lawrence Lubiano

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