HOUSE Speaker Martin Romualdez was designated as caretaker of the third legislative districts of Palawan and Negros Oriental until the midterm elections in May 2025, the House of Representatives said Tuesday, November 8, 2023.
The vacancies were brought about by the expulsion of Negros Oriental Third District representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. and the passing of Palawan congressman Edward Hagedorn in October.
“We are in a status quo, which means the Speaker will act as the caretaker. The assessment of Congressman Sagarbarria, parang next elections na lang, in May 2025, (i-fill ang vacancy). The same with Palawan... we have another vacancy because of the death of Congressman Hagedorn, the caretaker (of Palawan’s third district) is the Speaker,” House Secretary General Reginald Velasco told reporters.
He was referring to Negros Oriental Representative Manuel Sagarbarria.
“I doubt if there will be special elections because next year is already the political season. The filing of candidacy is in October. The term of whoever is elected in a special election is short, tapos may mga protest pa ‘yan, may magfa-file ng disqualification, and so on and so forth. That will drag on,” Velasco added.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has cancelled the special elections in Negros Oriental to fill Teves’ position following a resolution approved by the House of Representatives urging the poll body to reconsider its decision to conduct a special election on December 9, 2023 for the replacement of Teves “due to existing circumstances and present predicaments affecting the province.”
Cited in the House resolution were the pending disqualification cases against winning Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Central Visayas and Teves’ pending petition before the Supreme Court against his expulsion as a member of the House.
Sagarbarria, whose son serves as the governor in Negros Oriental, authored the resolution.
“They (the Sagarbarrias) have the knowledge of the situation in Negros Oriental, that is why he filed this important resolution, because of the current situation there,” Velasco said.
“There are peace and order (concerns), the very hot political climate there. To avoid all these problems, he said the proposed special elections should not be held at this time,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)