Batanes is heading toward a special election following the death of its lone district representative, Ciriaco “Jun” Gato Jr., with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) preparing for a vote within the legally required period.
Gato died on September 21 after suffering cardiac arrest, leaving Batanes’ lone congressional seat vacant. He was serving his third term as the province’s representative and was also chairperson of the House Committee on Health.
COMELEC Chairman George Garcia said the poll body is required to conduct a special election no earlier than 60 days and no later than 90 days after the vacancy occurs. Based on that timetable, COMELEC is now eyeing December 19 as the possible date for the Batanes special election.
The proposed schedule means the special poll would be held separately from the November 2 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. Garcia previously said holding both elections on the same day would be difficult because the 60-day minimum period for the congressional special election would not yet have elapsed by November 2.
The timing is not the only issue facing the poll body.
COMELEC estimates that around P8.5 million will be needed to conduct the Batanes special election, despite the province having only about 14,000 registered voters. Garcia said the commission may have to look for savings and realign funds from its existing programs because obtaining a supplemental budget could be difficult.
Garcia also pointed to a 2025 Supreme Court ruling stating that COMELEC has a mandatory duty to conduct special elections for congressional vacancies within the prescribed period. The ruling also addresses COMELEC’s authority to proceed with the election without waiting for a separate action from Congress.
For voters in Batanes, the coming election will determine who takes over the province’s vacant seat in the House of Representatives for the remainder of the term.
With the election date, funding arrangements and other preparations still being finalized, attention now shifts to the candidates who may seek the seat — and to how quickly COMELEC can complete the process ahead of the December deadline.
