By Allen Estabillo
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Former South Cotabato 1st District Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr. is running for the city's newly created lone legislative district seat in the October 26 special elections, a move that will potentially give him an unprecedented fourth straight term in the House of Representatives.
Acharon, who completed his third term in June, said Thursday he was seriously contemplating on making another congressional run in the wake of the reconfiguration early this year of the province's first district.
The elections in May for the first district representative of South Cotabato was suspended by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after its reorganization into two districts, as provided for in Republic Act 11243, or An Act Reapportioning the First Legislative District of the Province of South Cotabato.
It carved out the city from the first district of South Cotabato and created as the province's third district. The municipalities of Tampakan, Polomolok, and Tupi now comprise the first district.
The former lawmaker, who authored the new law, is being pushed by his local political party Achievers with Integrity Movement (AIM) to become the official candidate for the third district post.
Acharon, however, acknowledged that his potential candidacy may run roughshod with the law, pointing out that elected officials are only limited to three consecutive terms.
"For me, this will be a good test case because it is a new (situation)," he said in an interview over Brigada News FM here.
Acharon said it will be the first of its kind in the current political situation and "maybe it might be a good thing to debate."
The AIM party, which is allied with the Nationalist People's Coalition, fielded former City Councilor Arturo Cloma for the canceled elections for the first district of South Cotabato.
He faced then-outgoing Vice Mayor Shirlyn Banas-Nograles of Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao's People's Champ Movement (PCM) and independents Menchie Dinopol-Cataluna and Abelardo Plaza.
Nograles, who has signified to run anew in the special elections, received the most number of votes but these were declared stray by Comelec due to the poll suspension.
City Councilor Franklin Gacal, a PCM stalwart, argued that Acharon is barred from running for the post based on the three-term limit set in Section 7, Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution.
"While it may be true that GenSan is a new and distinct legislative district, the 1987 Constitution is clear on the issue," Gacal said in a Facebook comment.
Lawyer April Mitchor-Miguel, city election officer, said she is aware of the issue but noted that Acharon's plan remains a matter of speculation as the filing of certificates of candidacy has not yet begun.
The filing of COCs is scheduled on August 26-28 at the city election office and the Comelec provincial office in Koronadal City.
"Let's cross the bridge when we get there. We will know the answers to that after the filing of the COCs," Miguel said. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078564
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