Baku:Batanes The upcoming special congressional election in Batanes, scheduled for November 28, is anticipated to be a competitive race where a candidate could secure a seat in the House of Representatives with fewer than 3,000 votes. This information was shared by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia.

According to Philippines News agency, Garcia emphasized the competitiveness of the race due to the prominence of all four candidates contesting for the province's lone district seat. "There are four candidates running in Batanes, and the situation is somewhat critical. We've been saying that this election is no walk in the park," he stated in a recent interview.

The candidates include Edward Ike De Sagon running as an Independent, John Gato from the Nationalist People's Coalition, Luis Andres Abad of the Liberal Party, and Marilou Cayco representing Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. Each candidate has notable backgrounds, with Abad being the son of former congressman Butch Abad, Cayco a former governor of Batanes, Gato a relative of the late Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato Jr., and De Sagon a retired Commodore of the Philippine Navy.

The province has a relatively small voting population of just 13,138 registered voters, significantly lowering the threshold required to win. "Whoever gets 2,700 to 2,800 votes could already be elected as congressman," Garcia added.

The special election is being conducted to fill the vacancy left by the late Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato Jr., who passed away on September 21.