Comelec holds special elections Saturday

Special elections are being held today in select villages in Visayas and Mindanao, where the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared failure of elections.

This gives about 20,000 voters a second chance to cast their ballots, after missing Election Day due to various reasons, including the unavailable ballots, or switching of ballots between two different precincts. 

Majority of the areas, however, faced security issues that prompted the Comelec en banc to declare failure of elections there.

With this, the poll body directed police and military forces to “intensify efforts to ensure” the peaceful conduct of the special elections. 

The first resolution on the matter, released Wednesday, are for the following areas, which collectively have 52 clustered precincts with a total of 17,657 voters:

• Barangay Gabi, Cordova, Cebu — 1 clustered precinct, 436 of 772 registered voters
• Maitum, Sarangani — 1 clustered precinct, 677 registered voters
• Sta. Cruz, Marinduque — 1 clustered precinct, 621 registered voters
• Barangay Mabuyong, Anini-y, Antique — 1 clustered precinct, 691 registered voters
• Barangay Insubuan, San Remigio, Antique — 1 clustered precinct, 158 voters
• Barangay Roxas, Lope de Vega, Northern Samar — 1 clustered precinct, 169 registered voters
• Nagpapacao, Matuguinao, Western Samar — 1 clustered precinct, 285 registered voters
• Binidayan, Lanao del Sur — all 26 clustered precincts, 7,845 registered voters
• Pata, Sulu — 6 clustered precincts, 1,670 registered voters
• Panglima Estino, Sulu — 10 clustered precincts, 4,058 registered voters
• Tamparan, Lanao del Sur — 3 clustered precincts, 1,047 registered voters 

The following day, the Comelec en banc issued another resolution for failure of elections in three other villages, namely:

• Barangay Katuli, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao
• Barangay Binucayan in Loreto, Agusan del Sur; and 
• Barangay Palayog in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental 

Another 2,134 voters are affected in these villages. 

The Comelec en banc did not specify if the special elections will run from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

But the poll body earlier said it depends on the figures if they would still wait for the results from these areas before proclaiming winners in the national positions. 

Canvassing for senators and partylist groups is still ongoing, with session to resume at 2 p.m. Saturday. Proclamation may be implemented by next week, the poll body said.

The Comelec en banc has directed officials to suspend proclamation of winning local candidates if results from the special elections will affect their standing. 

The Omnibus Election Code (OEC) provides that failure of elections may be declared on account of force majeure, violence, terrorism, fraud, or other analogous causes when the election in any polling place has not been held on the date fixed.

It also provides that Comelec shall call for the holding or continuation of the election not held or suspended on a date reasonably close to the date of the election and must not be later than 30 days. — BAP, GMA News