Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has turned down a call to register Abanse Negrense as a partylist group, which would enable him to win a congressional seat in 2028, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Lacson is currently serving his third and final term as governor.
Escalante said the papers for the registration of Abanse Negrense as a party-list group have already been prepared, but the governor has not given his clearance to submit them to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
They tried to convince him, but Escalante said they cannot register the group without Lacson’s clearance because he is the face of Abanse Negrense.
“The Governor has his own reasons, he is looking forward to retirement” after about 40 years in public service, Escalante said.
Escalante said that the deadline for registering a party-list group for the 2028 polls had already lapsed, so it is too late.
However, COMELEC Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castillano clarified that the deadline has not passed.
Under COMELEC Resolution No. 11204, the deadline for new party-list groups and political organizations to file their petition for registration is Dec. 18, 2026, Castillano said.
To participate as a party-list group, an organization must submit a verified petition for registration directly to the COMELEC Clerk of the Commission.*
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