Resigned ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Edvic Yap. Photo courtesy of ACT-CIS party-list/Facebook
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday urged the ACT-CIS party-list and the House of Representatives to submit official notices of Rep. Edvic Yap’s resignation before the poll body can move to proclaim his replacement.
Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the resignation must be formally declared to both the House and the party-list, with the latter required to accept it through a resolution. The poll body has not received either document as of Thursday.
During Wednesday’s House session, Deputy Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon read a letter from Yap announcing his resignation.
Yap, ACT-CIS’s first nominee, was previously cited by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla in connection with funds allegedly received from contractors Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya.
Garcia explained that acceptance by the party-list is necessary for the Comelec to issue a certification indicating which nominee will assume the vacant seat.
With ACT-CIS winning two seats in the 2025 midterm elections, the second nominee, Jocelyn Pua Tulfo, will move up to first nominee, while the third nominee, Jeffrey Soriano, a 45-year-old businessman from Quezon City, will become the second.
The Comelec chair said the poll body cannot proceed with proclamation if the party-list does not accept the resignation or if the notices are not submitted by both parties.
Garcia added that nominees are considered members of the party-list first, and once the resignation is formally acknowledged, the Comelec will request an updated list of nominees to determine who will fill the vacant seat.
