ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is allowing substitution of candidacy due to withdrawal only up to Nov. 29, 2018.
The original rule that allowed substitution due to withdrawal until midday of election day, May 13, 2019, had been amended.
Under Comelec Resolution No. 10420, there are three scenarios where substitution is allowed:
* withdrawal of candidacy
* death of the candidate
* disqualification of the candidate
The Nov. 29 deadline is for substitution due to withdrawal only, clarified Atty. Dennis Ausan, Comelec Region 6 director.
Substitution due to the death or disqualification of the candidate will be allowed until midday of election day, he stressed.
Ausan also clarified that substitution – either due to withdrawal, death or disqualification of a candidate – is allowed only for those that have political parties.
“You cannot be substituted if you’re an independent candidate. That’s the basic rule,” he said.
Ausan said, too, that substitutes for candidates who died or disqualified after Nov. 29 must have the same surnames and political parties of the candidates they are substituting.
“Kay ma-print na kami sina balota,” explained Ausan.
Substitution for a candidate who died or disqualified before Nov. 29 does not require the substitute to have the same surname of the candidate being replaced. However, the substitute must belong to the party of the candidate being replaced, said Ausan.
A candidate who wishes to withdraw must provide a sworn statement of withdrawal in five copies, to be submitted to the election office where he/she filed the certificate of candidacy (COC).
Iloilo province saw one high-profile withdrawal and substitution of candidacy on Tuesday – in the race for congressman in the 3rd District. Peter Anthony Velasco of the Nacionalista Party withdrew his candidacy and was substituted by three-term Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Emmanuel Gallar.
Gallar’s rival for the post is his Provincial Board colleague, Lorenz Defensor of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan.
Meanwhile, Ausan said an individual holding a public appointive office or position, including active members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other officers and employees in government-owned or controlled corporations, who filed COCs last week were considered automatically resigned from their posts.
Elected officials who filed COCs, on the other hand, were not considered resigned from their positions and should continue functioning./PN
