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Comelec to release legal opinion on who should sit in Maguindanao Sur, Norte

Philippines | National

Comelec to release legal opinion on who should sit in Maguindanao Sur, Norte

By Leslie Ann Aquino

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be coming out with a legal opinion on who should sit as governors of the newly created provinces of Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte.

Comelec/MB

"The provision of Republic Act 11550 creating the two provinces in Maguindanao presupposes that there was a plebiscite conducted before May 2022 elections. What will happen if plebiscite happened after May 2022 elections? The Comelec right now is preparing a legal opinion and will be coming out with that in the next few days," Comelec Chairman George Garcia told CNN Philippines on Monday, Sept. 19.

"I don't want to preempt the actions of the Comelec on that matter, on what will be our take on who should sit as new governors of the newly created provinces," he added.

Garcia said their legal opinion, which they will release this week, will be very important to determine which body has jurisdiction to pinpoint who for the meantime should seat.

As far as the Comelec is concerned, he said, they already did their role which is to conduct the plebiscite.

"After that, as far as the Comelec is concerned, we should have a hands off policy already as far as the two provinces are concerned," said Garcia.

"As to what entity? Just wait in the next few days for our legal opinion. We do not have a participation in the determination on who will sit as officers of the new provinces," he added.

The poll body is expected to release its legal opinion Tuesday or Wednesday.

Majority of voters in the Sept. 17 Maguindanao plebiscite approved the establishment of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur with 706,558 "yes" votes.

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