By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent/ COUNCILOR Teodulfo Lao Jr. yesterday criticized the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism over its report about the Centrist Democratic Party’s failure to submit its election expenses statement even as he asserted that the Center based its news story on “unvalidated data.” PCIJ reported that CDP is among the political parties that did not submit its Statement of Election Contributions and Expenditures (Soce) to the Commission on Election’s Campaign Finance Office for the 2016 elections. In its report entitled: “3,937 candidates in May 2016  did not file poll expense reports,” the PCIJ named Lao and Councilor Enrico Salcedo as among the 43 candidates the CDP fielded in the 2016 elections. PCIJ reported that the councilors are in trouble over CDP’s failure to submit its Soce, something that Lao denied. “Ang mga kandidato sa CDP nga nakadaog ug (mga) napilde niadtong milabay nga election nag-submit man sa Soce sa Comelec. Ambot asa kana nakuha sa PCIJ kanang ilang report,” Lao said. He said the PCIJ report damaged the CDP and its members’ reputation and credibility. Lao said that contrary to the PCIJ report, they have not violated RA 7166 because after the 2016 elections, the CDP and the members themselves submitted their Soce to the Comelec. “Republic Act 7166 states that these winning candidates cannot take on the duties of his/her office without his/her Soce,” the PCIJ report reads in part. “Wala man kami mabalaka anang gi-report sa PCIJ kay ila ra man kana. Wala man magsulti ang Comelec kanamo nga failure kami sa among submission sa Soce. Pero kon Comelec pa ang  nag-ingon nga wala kami Soce, mabalaka kami ana,” Lao said. However, the PCIJ based its report on the database of Comelec’s Campaign Finance Office.