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MATAPOS tuluyang sibakin sa kanilang talaan ng mga mambabatas si former Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., pinagtibay naman ng Kamara ang isang resolusyon nagtutulak sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) na agad magsagawa ng special election para sa posisyon ng Kinatawan sa ikatlong distrito ng Negros Oriental.
Sa ilalim ng House Resolution 1212 na inihain nina House Speaker Martin Romualdez at House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe, binigyang diin ang kahalagahan agad na mapunan ang pwestong iniwan ni Teves na pinatalsik sa pagtangging bumalik sa Pilipinas matapos ideklara bilang terorista kaugnay ng mahabang talaan ng pamamaslang sa Negros Oriental mula taong 2019 hanggang Marso ng kasalukuyang taon.
Ayon kina Romualdez at Dalipe, nagkaroon ng “vacancy sa ikatlong distrito ng Negros Oriental dahil sa pagpapatalsik kay Teves “for disorderly behavior at violation ng Section 141 (a) at (b), Rule XX of ng Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives,” kung saan 63% ng kabuuang bilang ng mga kongresista ang sumang-ayon.
“The vacancy has left the constituency of the province’s third legislative district without representation in the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines,” wika pa ng dalawang ranking official ng Lower House.
Tinukoy din nina Romualdez at Dalipe ang Section 9, Article VI ng Constitution, kung saan nakasaad na: “In case of vacancy in the Senate or in the House of Representatives, a special election may be called to fill such vacancy in the manner prescribed by law, but the senator or member of the House of Representatives thus elected shall serve only for the unexpired term.”
Sa ilalim naman ng Republic Act 6645 (An Act prescribing the manner of filling a vacancy in the Congress of the Philippines), sinasabing: “In case a vacancy arises in the Senate at least 18 months or in the House of Representatives at least one year before the next regular election for members of Congress, the Commission on Elections, upon receipt of a resolution of the Senate of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, certifying to the existence of such vacancy and calling for a special election, shall hold a special election to fill such vacancy…”
Maging ang RA 7166, na patungkol sa synchronized elections, nag-aatas ng isang special election sa loob ng 90 araw mula nang mabakante ang pwesto.
Agad din naman pinadala ng House leadership ang opisyal na kopya ng HR 1212 sa Comelec na una nang nagpahayag ng kahandaan magsagawa ng special election – kung hihilingin ng Kamara.
