DEFENSES OF PEDRO:

1. A legal fee should excluded as part of the election campaign expenses for the purpose of
determining whether a candidate had overspent during the campaign period.

SECTION 102. Lawful expenditures. - To carry out the objectives of the preceding sections, no
candidate or treasurer of a political party shall, directly or indirectly, make any expenditure except for the
following purposes:

(a) For travelling expenses of the candidates and campaign personnel in the course of the campaign and
for personal expenses incident thereto;

(b) For compensation of campaigners, clerks, stenographers, messengers, and other persons actually
employed in the campaign;

(c) For telegraph and telephone tolls, postage, freight and express delivery charges;

(d) For stationery, printing and distribution of printed matters relative to candidacy;

(e) For employment of watchers at the polls;

(f) For rent, maintenance and furnishing of campaign headquarters, office or place of meetings;

(g) For political meetings and rallies and the use of sound systems, lights and decorations during said
meetings and rallies;

(h) For newspaper, radio, television and other public advertisements;

(i) For employment of counsel, the cost of which shall not be taken into account in determining the amount
of expenses which a candidate or political party may have incurred under Section 100 and 101 hereof;

(j) For copying and classifying list of voters, investigating and challenging the right to vote of persons
registered in the lists the costs of which shall not be taken into account in determining the amount of
expenses which a candidate or political party may have incurred under Sections 100 and 101 hereof; or

(k) For printing sample ballots in such color, size and maximum number as may be authorized by the
Commission and the cost of such printing shall not be taken into account in determining the amount of
expenses which a candidate or political party may have incurred under Sections 100 and 101 hereof.

The basic statutory construction principle of ejusdem generis states that where a general word or
phrase follows an enumeration of particular and specific words of the same class, the general word or
phrase is to be construed to include – or to be restricted to – things akin to or resembling, or of the same
kind or class as, those specifically mentioned.

The above-cited provisions mentioned nothing about legal or other related fees as part of the
election campaign expenses, thus, the same must be excluded.

2. Expenses incurred by a political party should also be excluded in the Statement of Contributions
and Expenses

A cardinal rule in statutory construction is that when the law is clear and free from any doubt or ambiguity,
there is no room for construction or interpretation. There is only room for application. As the statute is
clear, plain, and free from ambiguity, it must be given its literal meaning and applied without attempted
interpretation. This is what is known as the plain-meaning rule or verba legis. It is expressed in the maxim,
index animi sermo, or "speech is the index of intention." Furthermore, there is the maxim verba legis non
est recedendum, or "from the words of a statute there should be no departure (Bolos vs. Bolos, GR No.
186400, October 20, 2010).

It is noteworthy to mention that a political party is not proscribed to spend election expenses separate
from an individual candidate. Section 101 of BP 881 states:

SECTION 101. Limitations upon expenses of political parties.– A duly accredited political party may
spend for the election of its candidates in the constituency or constituencies where it has official
candidates an aggregate amount not exceeding the equivalent of one peso and fifty centavos for
every voter currently registered therein. Expenses incurred by branches, chapters, or committees
of such political party shall be included in the computation of the total expenditures of the political
party.xxx