Sotto denies receiving contractor donations during 2025 campaign

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto said he did not receive any donations from contractors during his election campaign in the May 2025 polls.

In a radio interview, Sotto noted that his Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) reflect only personal expenses and support from close friends.

“Awa ng Diyos, hindi, makikita mo sa SOCE ko, nilista ko, mga sarili kong gastos, mga tumulong sakin mas mayaman sakin, si Vic [Sotto], Joey [de Leon], [Antonio] Tuviera,” he said.
(God forbid, no, you can see in my SOCE, I listed my own expenses; those who helped me are richer than me—Vic, Joey, and Tuviera.)

Tuviera was the co-founder and former president and CEO of TAPE Inc., the production company behind the iconic noontime show Eat Bulaga!, which Sotto hosted alongside his brother Vic and Joey de Leon.

On Wednesday, 10 September, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would issue a show-cause order to Centerways Construction President Lawrence Lubiano, ordering him to explain why he should not be charged with an election offense for allegedly making donations for then-senatorial candidate Francis "Chiz" Escudero.

Escudero previously confirmed that Centerways Construction donated P30 million to his 2022 election campaign but denied helping the firm secure big-ticket flood control projects.

The firm was among the five contractors identified by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as having the largest haul of flood control projects, reportedly bagging P5.4 billion in the Bicol Region and Central Visayas alone.

In August, the Comelec said it is looking into four contractors who allegedly donated to the campaigns of some national candidates, including senators and party-lists during the 2022 polls.

Without naming names, the poll body earlier flagged at least four entities that donated to senatorial bets in the May 2022 elections despite the prohibitions stated by the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).

Under the OEC, "no contribution for purposes of partisan political activity shall be made directly or indirectly by a natural or juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions, or instrumentalities, with goods or services, or to perform construction or other works."