Hard to find replacement for slain Maguindanao poll exec -Comelec

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair George Erwin Garcia admitted on Thursday, March 27, 2025, the difficulty of finding a replacement for the slain election supervisor in Maguindanao del Norte as fears of violence loomed. PHOTO by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA,  Philippines — Finding a replacement for the slain election supervisor in Maguindanao del Norte is hard as fears of violence loomed, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Thursday.

Comelec provincial election supervisor of Maguindanao del Norte, lawyer Bai Maceda Lidasan Abo, was killed in an ambush while she was on her way from this city to her office at Barangay Dalican in Datu Odin Sinsuat on March 26.

She and her husband were declared dead on arrival.

“I admit that as of present, it’s hard for us to find her replacement or even volunteers,” Garcia said in a media forum.

He added: “If you will replace someone who was killed, why will you volunteer? That is natural.”

Garcia previously said he would order the commission en banc to declare Datu Odin Sinsuat under Comelec control, which means the poll body would be the de facto local government unit in charge of the area.

READ: Garcia wants Maguindanao del Norte town under Comelec control

“They are testing Comelec’s patience,” Garcia said. “If there are some inconveniences in the area where there is a Comelec control, for example, that is the price in ensuring clean, honest, and orderly elections.”