Lawyer Jordan Pizarras seeks transfer of Bohol Comelec officer

Atty. Jordan Pizarras shows a copy of the letter that he sent to Comelec Chairman George Garcia. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A candidate for congressman in the 1st District of Bohol is seeking the transfer of their Comelec Provincial Election Supervisor ahead of the May 12 elections.

Lawyer Jordan Pizarras said that Atty. Eliseo Labaria has occupied the position for 15 years or since 2010, raising concerns that this could affect the conduct of the elections in their province and raise perceptions of bias in favor of the incumbents.

In the event that Comelec would deny his request, Pizarras said that he will go to the Supreme Court.

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“Comelec should consider reassigning him to another post,” Pizarras said in statement while putting emphasis on the importance of neutrality in the electoral process.

Pizzaras, a candidate under Aksyon Demokratiko, wrote to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia last March 25 to formally seek Labaria’s transfer.

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He also made a suggestion for the assignment of Atty. Jerome Brillantes, who served in Cebu in the 2022 elections, or another “suitable official” in their province “in order to effectively and efficiently carry out COMELEC’s Constitutional mandate to conduct a free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections..”

“This will ensure that the conduct and results of the forthcoming elections will be fair and impartial,” read part of his letter.

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“I look forward to your immediate and favorable action on the matter,” it added.

Reshuffling

Pizzaras said in a statement that it is within the constitutional duty of the Comelec to order a reshuffling of election officers, “to reinforce the integrity and fairness of the electoral process.”

He mentioned of the Omnibus Election Code, which authorizes the election body to order the transfer of its personnel to enhance efficiency.

In addition, he mentioned of Section 44 of Republic Act No. 8189  or the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996, which limits the tenure of election officers in a specific city or municipality to four years, mandating their reassignment to a different congressional district thereafter.

“This provision exists to safeguard the neutrality of election officers and to prevent undue familiarity with local political figures,” Pizarras explained.

“While it explicitly pertains to city and municipal election officers, the same principle should logically apply to provincial officers as well,” he added.

Pizarras further underscored that reassignments are crucial to:

• Prevent potential bias between election officials and political candidates.
• Address service demands efficiently.
• Ensure impartiality in the electoral process ahead of elections.