Department of Interior and Local Government to Decide on Mayoral Functions
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) holds the responsibility to determine who will carry out the functions of the mayor of Davao City while former President Rodrigo Duterte remains detained in The Hague. This was confirmed by the Commission on Elections on Tuesday.
Duterte, who was declared the winner of the Davao City mayoral race, defeated his former Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles. However, he is currently imprisoned at the International Criminal Court for charges related to crimes against humanity, linked to the killings during his administration’s war on drugs.
Commissioner George Garcia Laudiangco explained, “We’ll leave that to the DILG,” during an ambush interview with reporters. He further clarified the Commission on Elections’ role by stating, “Ang jurisdiction po ng Commission on Elections ay i-proclaim kung sino ang nanalo sa eleksyon.”
(The jurisdiction of the Comelec is to proclaim who won the elections.)
Proclamation of Detained Candidates
According to Laudiangco, candidates who are detained can still be proclaimed winners as long as there are no court or Comelec orders preventing their proclamation.
“Wala po tayong natatanggap na order from any court or from the commission na hindi dapat maproclaim,” he said. “So ang rule po natin regardless po kung si former President Duterte, lahat ng kandidato, kung walang order ng suspension of proclamation at ikaw ang nanalo, ipo-proclaim ka ng boards [of canvassers].”
(We have yet to receive an order from any court or the commission that there should be no proclamation. Regardless of whether it’s former President Duterte, all candidates may be proclaimed by the boards of canvassers if he or she won and there is no order to suspend the proclamation.)
Laudiangco also noted that the physical presence of winning candidates is not necessary for the proclamation since the raising of hands is merely symbolic and ceremonial.
“We don’t need the presence of the winning candidate para matuloy ang proclamation,” he added.
Duterte’s Election Victory and Detention
Earlier that day, the Board of Canvassers in Davao City officially proclaimed Duterte as the winner of the mayoral race, securing a landslide victory with 662,630 votes.
Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in the Philippines on March 11, following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. He is now held at Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, facing charges of crimes against humanity due to the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte revealed that legal advisers are discussing the next steps should her father win the elections.
For further updates on local elections, visit Filipinokami.com.