The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) affirmed the suspension ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman against 11 elective local officials upon the request of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The following local officials were ordered suspension for six months:
San Simon, Pampanga
- Mayor Abundio Punsalan Jr.
- Sangguniang Bayan members Romanoel Santos, Mark Pined Macapagal, Irene Bagts David, Irene Dagdag, Randell Bondoc, Archiebald Simbulan Basilio, and Alekseyevich Vergara.
Tabuk, Kalinga
- Mayor Darwin Estranero
The poll body likewise ordered the suspension of Clarin, Bohol Mayor Eugeniano Ermac Ibarr for one month, and Goa Camarines Sur Mayor Racquel Sarcilla Lim for one year.
COMELEC chairman George Garcia approved the decision following the recommendations made by COMELEC Law Department Director Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal to grant the request of the DILG.
The DILG made the request that the suspensions be exempted from Section 261 (x) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) which provides that, during the election period, it is prohibited for “any public official who suspends, without prior approval of the Commission, any elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer, unless said suspension will be for purposes of applying the ‘Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act’ in relation to the suspension and removal of elective officials.”
