THE Commission on Elections has canceled the December 9 special poll for a replacement for expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.
This was after the House of Representatives adopted a resolution urging the Comelec to reconsider the conduct of the election given the present situation in the province.
The House cited Teves’ petition questioning his expulsion from the House, and the pending disqualification cases against winning Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan candidates in the region.
It said the conduct of a special election “may have a negative impact on the peace and order situation” not just in Teves’s district, but also in the surrounding areas.
Comelec Chair George Garcia said the Comelec en banc decided to adopt the recommendation of its Law Department to cancel the poll.
Garcia said the Comelec would direct its personnel in Negros Oriental and its partners and stakeholders to stop their preparations as the special election would no longer push through.
He said the House has the power to call for the conduct of special elections, and it also has the power to stop these.
“The Comelec will just implement the mandate of the House of Representatives in this respect,” he said.
