CANDIDATES for Cebu City north district councilors who ranked ninth and 10th could make it to the City Council if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rules with finality on the disqualification of Councilors-elect Sisinio Andales and Alvin Arcilla.
In October last year, a certain Allen Canoy petitioned the Comelec to cancel the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Arcilla and Andales, who both belong to Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), saying the two have already served three terms.
Last March, the First and Second Divisions of Comelec granted the petition of Canoy and ordered the cancellation of the COCs of Arcilla and Andales. Both Arcilla and Andales filed a motion for reconsideration before Comelec en banc.
In an interview, Cebu City Election Officer Marchel Sarno, said the motion for reconsideration of the two councilors is still pending before the Comelec en banc.
“As for now, they are duly elected officials and they have been proclaimed. But just in case the en banc will not rule in their favor, the candidates who are next in rank will replace them because the petition was to deny due course and the effect of that is that as if there was no COC filed at all,” Sarno said.
Official results from the Comelec showed Councilor Jerry Guardo was on the ninth spot while Councilor Joel Garganera was on the 10th spot.
Last Tuesday, May 14, the Board of Canvassers proclaimed both Arcilla and Andales as among the winning councilors in the north district.
Andales snatched the sixth spot with 106,185 votes while Arcilla got the seventh spot with 102,911 votes. (RVC)