5 days Ago By Antonio Manaytay
ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines – In a move that has sparked legal and political debate in Zamboanga Sibugay, a resident has questioned the dual roles of an appointed municipal councilor and local government-run hospital director who filed her certificate of candidacy for mayor of Malangas town. In a petition filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Paterna Yeban Calunod challenged the certificate of candidacy (COC) of physician Anna Florence Cabilao Yambao , alleging she violated election rules by retaining her positions in the town government after filing her COC in October. Calunod argued that as an appointee, Yambao should have stepped down upon filing her COC, citing a law that mandates the automatic resignation of appointed officials who run for public office.
Dr. Yambao was appointed as a municipal councilor by Zamboanga Sibugay Governor Dulce Ann Hofer in April to fill a vacancy in the Malangas town council following the death of councilor Abdulpata Maung. In a letter dated November 12, Edmundo Calong, the election officer of Malangas, asked Yambao to respond to the petition.
In her reply, Yambao contended that she is “an elective official serving the unexpired term” of Maung and that while her appointment filled the vacancy, the position remains elective in nature. She cited a provision of the Local Government Code stating that elective positions may be filled by appointment in case of vacancy. Regarding her role as medical director of the municipal hospital, Yambao argued that the Local Government Code allows local legislators to practice their profession.
She also clarified that she does not receive compensation as hospital director, dismissing allegations of violating laws against double compensation. Zamboanga Sibugay lawyer Richard Rambuyong supported Yambao’s position, asserting that she holds “essentially an elective position” and is not subject to automatic resignation under election laws. He argued that her appointment to the council was intended to fill a vacancy in an elective office, differentiating it from other appointed roles.
The Comelec has yet to rule on Calunod’s petition which Yambao sees as a move to have her disqualified from the 2025 race for the town’s mayoral post. Yambao comes from a political family in Zamboanga Sibugay. Her mother, Belma Cabilao, was the province’s lone district representative from 2001 to 2007.
When the province was divided into two districts in 2007, Cabilao became the first representative of Zamboanga Sibugay’s 1st District. Yambao previously ran for the congressional seat in the 1st District in 2019, against ex-representative Sharky Palma, son of then-governor Wilter Palma, but lost. She ran again in 2022, this time against the elder Palma, in the same district race and was defeated.
– Rappler.com.
