Claim: Elec coop’s resources used to successfully campaign for a partylist
Rating: FALSE
This video, shared with us, claims that the PHILRECA party-list used BENECO resources including money to fund and push its own electoral bid in the May 2022 elections.
This is false.
PHILRECA PL did indeed put up campaign posters on BENECO property, but there is currently no indication or evidence that any funding changed hands.
This is not the first time PHILRECA has been accused of co-opting cooperative funds for its electoral campaigns. In early 2021, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) accused PHILRECA of using cooperative funds in its 2019 campaign, something the party-list has denied.
The Marie Rafael camp cited the earlier 2019 decision that struck down former NEA chief Edgardo Masongsong, who “failed to object” to electric cooperative resolutions to contribute funds to various party-lists.
Masongsong claimed a lack of proof of transfer of funding to PHILRECA for partisan purposes but was instead sacked by President Duterte.
PHILRECA representative Presley De Jesus has categorically denied the accusations made by Rafael, claiming that said claims are political and baseless.
Currently, there is no public record or evidence of funding changing hands with regards to electric cooperatives and the PHILRECA campaign.