THE House of Representatives last night adopted a resolution asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Negros Oriental third district Rep. Arnolfo Teves who was expelled last week for his continued absence without a travel authority, which constituted “disorderly behavior.”
In House Resolution (HR) No. 1212 authored by Speaker Martin Romualdez, majority leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, and minority leader Marcelino Libanan, the House certified “to the existence of a vacancy” in the third congressional district.
The authors said the vacancy in Negros Oriental’s third district was created due to Teves’ expulsion “for disorderly behavior and violation of Section 141 (a) and (b), Rule XX of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives, by the requisite vote of two-thirds of all its members as provided for in the Constitution.”
Teves, whose whereabouts remain unknown, is accused of masterminding the assassination of his political rival Gov. Roel Degamo last March 4.
The resolution said the vacancy has left the constituency of the province’s third legislative district “without representation in the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines.”
It invoked Section 9, Article VI of the Constitution, which provides: “In case of vacancy in the Senate or in the House of Representatives, a special election may be called to fill such vacancy in the manner prescribed by law, but the senator or member of the House of Representatives thus elected shall serve only for the unexpired term.”
