MANILA, Philippines — The special elections in the lone legislative district of Dasmariñas, Cavite will be held on August 29, 2026 following the expulsion of former lawmaker Kiko Barzaga by the House of Representatives, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Wednesday.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia earlier said that special elections must be conducted not earlier than 60 days but not later than 90 days after the post was vacated. Barzaga was expelled last June 2 over his “disruptive” and “disorderly behavior.”
READ: Comelec may hold Dasmariñas, Cavite special polls on Aug. 22 or 29
“Our fixed date is on August 29. That’s what the Commission en banc also discussed,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.
Garcia also said that the poll body will have a coordinated meeting on Thursday with security forces, officials of Dasmariñas, Cavite, and government agencies that will be involved for the conduct of the special elections.
Meanwhile, Garcia said he already wrote to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the sourcing of P191 million funds for the elections.
“We asked for help from the executive [department], headed by the honorable President. We hope to secure funds from the contingency fund because we have no resources,” he said.
Garcia added that he asked the Comelec’s finance department to look for savings or propose a realignment from the current budget. He also said that the poll body does not have much savings now, noting that it will only determine the amount of savings left after the end of activities towards the end of the year.
He reiterated that the poll body will need that certain amount since there are over 437,000 registered voters in the district, which will need more election materials and honoraria for teachers who will serve as electoral board members on election day.
“It’s a challenge for the Comelec but again, lack of budget is not a reason to not hold the elections because the Supreme Court said that the Comelec must find a budget for the special elections,” he added.
The last time that the poll body conducted special polls was on March 14, 2026 after the death of former Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop in 2025. Acop’s son, Philip Conrad or “Bong” was elected after obtaining 60,051 of 82,796 votes. /mr
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