FOLLOWING the death of Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop on December 20 last year, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set its sight on the conduct of a special election to fill up the void.
In an announcement, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the target date for the elections is March 14, roughly two months from now.
But unlike the previous congressional elections, the Comelec chief hinted at conducting a manual voting, which would require the poll body to shell out roughly P98 million.
“Wala kaming pera para ipangontrata at wala tayong panahon para sa procurement. Sa isang halalan na ganito, lagi itong manual na halalan,” averred Garcia.
He however clarified that the poll body has already requested funding for the special polls from the Office of the President’s contingency funds, as the commission only has around P11 million for special elections in this year’s national budget.
Acop, 78, died of a heart attack.
Prior to joining the political fray, Acop was a police officer and lawyer. As a politician, he served as congressman for the second district of Antipolo from 2010 to 2019, and again in 2022 to 2025.
He was educated at the Philippine Military Academy, serving as chief superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Service from 1994 until his resignation in 1995 following the Kuratong Baleleng rub-out.
He entered Congress in 2010 and served three full terms before being succeeded by his wife, Resurrecion. Following her death, Acop returned to Congress and served for another two terms.
Acop and AGHAM Partylist Representative Angelo Palmones filed a resolution to conduct an inquiry into the acquisition of 59,904 9-millimeter pistols for the Philippine National Police, costing P1.2 billion. He was one of the 56 representatives in the 16th Congress (out of 290 members) with a perfect attendance.
During a House inquiry into Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds in 2024, Acop flagged the name “Mary Grace Piattos,” sharing the monikers of a restaurant chain and a potato chip brand, as an allegedly fictitious signatory on an acknowledgement receipt for confidential expenses.
On November 28, 2025, Acop was discharged after receiving a kidney transplant.
He was found unconscious at his residence on December 20, and died on the same day at the Assumption Specialty Hospital and Medical Center in Antipolo City.
His remains were cremated and brought to the House of Representatives for a requiem mass and memorial service for him on December 29.