MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday urged the House of Representatives and the ACT-CIS party-list to submit their separate notices of the resignation of Rep. Edvic Yap for the poll body to begin its proclamation for a new lawmaker.
According to Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, there needs to be an official declaration from the House of Representatives to the poll body on Yap’s resignation, and a resolution from his party-list accepting it. He said the poll body has not received any of these to date.
READ: ACT-CIS solon Edvic Yap resigns, says House
During the Wednesday session, Deputy Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon announced Yap’s resignation through a letter they received from the latter. Yap, the first nominee of the party-list, was earlier implicated by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to have supposedly received money from controversial contractor couple Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya.
“The resignation may be addressed to the House of Representatives, but it should also be addressed to the party-list for them to immediately accept it,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.
“This is for the party-list to inform if they accept the resignation of the number one nominee and to tell us that we should issue a certification on who would be assuming the post based on the list submitted to the Comelec,” Garcia added.
Garcia noted that with Yap’s resignation and his party-list winning two seats in the 2025 midterm elections, the second nominee based on the list of nominees submitted to the poll body will now become the first nominee, while the third nominee will become the second.
Based on the party-list’s certificate of nominations uploaded on the poll body’s website, the second nominee is Rep. Jocelyn Pua Tulfo, while the third nominee is Jeffrey Soriano, a 45-year-old businessman from Quezon City.
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When asked what the Comelec would do if the party-list did not accept Yap’s resignation and if the lower chamber and the party-list did not submit their notices, Garcia said that the poll body would not be able to immediately proceed with the proclamation.
“The acceptance of resignation should come first from the party-list, and not the House of Representatives. Before you become a member of the House of Representatives, you are a nominee first of the party-list,” Garcia said.
He noted that once the lower chamber informs the Comelec of the resignation, the poll body will request a list of nominees from the Comelec to determine who will assume the vacant seat.
“This is our call for them to submit a letter so the Comelec can immediately act on it and issue certification,” he said. /das