Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia has appealed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to immediately appoint the replacements of the two commissioners who are set to retire next month.
Garcia told media Commissioners Socorro Inting and Marlon Casquejo are set to retire early February after completing their respective seven-year terms.
“It is our call for the President to immediately appoint their (Inting and Casquejo) replacements so that our preparations and operations in the Comelec will be normal, especially with the elections just months away,” Garcia said.
The Comelec chief noted the importance of having a complete 7-man Commission en banc in handling election cases.
“In disposing cases, it would be better if we are complete because there are times when there are split decisions and opinions, and we can’t reach a majority,” he said.
Inting and Casquejo’s retirement will leave with only five members — Garcia and Commissioners Rey Bulay, Aimee Ferolino, Ernesto Maceda, and Nelson Celis.
Both retiring commissioners were appointed during the Duterte administration – Inting in April 2018 and Casquejo in June 2018.
Asked if the current election ban will require Marcos to secure authorization from the Comelec before making the appointment, Garcia said: “The President has a continuing authority from the Comelec. If the one making the appointment is the President, it won’t require any exemption from the Comelec.”
Under the Omnibus Election Code, it is considered a prohibited act for “any public official, who makes or causes any transfer or detail whatever of any officer or employee in the civil service, including public school teachers, within the election period, except upon prior approval of the Commission.”
The May 2025 election period covers the stretch from January 12 to June 11.
