MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing holding the special elections in all 19 barangays in Zamboanga City before November 30.
“Preferably we would want to have the special elections before November 30 to avoid any hold over,” said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes in an interview with journalists.
He explained that the three-year term of the incumbent barangay chairman and barangay councilmen will end on November 30 at 12 noon.
However, Brillantes said that as of press time they could not set the date of the special polls as they are still assessing the situation in the said province.
The poll body chief said that the authorities were looking to finish clearing operations in the area in two to three weeks.
On October 8, the Commission en banc through Resolution Number 9793 approved the recommendation of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of Education and the City Council Crisis Management Committee to postpone the October 28 polls due to the crisis that recently occurred in the province.
On the other hand, Commissioner Robert Christian Lim said it was 70-80 percent certain that the special polls could be helbefore November 30.
He added that they needed to give local candidates 19 days to file their certificate of candidacy and to campaign, since the calendar of activities has been reset because of the
postponement.
The Philippine star
