Comelec reshuffles top Eastern Visayas execs for May 13 polls

TACLOBAN CITY — Top officials of the Commission on Elections in Eastern Visayas (Comelec-8) have been transferred as part of the preparations for the May 13 elections.

Affected by the reshuffling is lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, who would be assigned to Comelec Western Visayas based in Iloilo City starting Feb. 25.

Mendros, who had been Comelec-8 director for a long time, would be replaced by Rafael Olaño, Comelec director for Central Visayas.

Mendros said he asked for his transfer to avoid the question of partiality in the conduct of the elections in Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar.

His wife, Athens, is the vice mayor of Lawaan town in Eastern Samar. She is running for the mayoral post this May polls.

“I have requested for my transfer last June 2018 and reiterated it in November last year,” he said.

But Mendros said he asked the Comelec central office to retain Comelec-8 assistant director, Felicisimo Embalsado so as not to affect the operations of the regional office considering that several provincial elections supervisors in Region 8 would also be reassigned.

One of the provincial poll supervisors affected by the reshuffle was Leyte elections supervisor Sabino Mejarito who was assigned to Southern Leyte.
He would be replaced by Juan Bautista Beato from Eastern Samar Comelec.

Karen Cajipo was transferred from Biliran town to Eastern Samar while Southern Leyte elections supervisor Antonio Gulay was moved to Biliran.
The election supervisors of Samar and Northern Samar were retained.

Lawyer Corazon Montallana, the poll supervisor in Samar, was not transferred because she could handle the volatile political situation in the province.

Mendros said it was on the initiative of Montallana that all nuisance candidates in Samar, at least in the provincial and congressional posts, withdrew their candidacies.

Fidel Amacna was also retained as the poll supervisor in Nothern Samar because she was new to the post.