tional Assembly and shall hold office until their successors, elected at the next regular election, shall qualify.

SEC. 15. Vacancy in the National Assembly.-Whenever a vacancy in the National Assembly occurs ten months before the next regular election of Assemblymen, the President, as soon as he is notified by the National Assembly of the existence of such vacancy, shall call a special election in the district. In case the vacancy is caused by the death of a member against whom there is pending no protest, while the National Assembly is not in session, the certification of the Speaker regarding the vacancy shall be sufficient basis for the President of the Philippines to call such special election.

SEC. 16. Vacancy in elective provincial or municipal office. (a) Whenever a temporary vacancy in any elective local office occurs, the same shall be filled by appointment by the President if it is a provincial office, and by the provincial governor, with the consent of the provincial board, if it is a municipal office.

(b) Whenever in any elective local office a vacancy occurs as a result of the death, resignation, removal or cessation of the incumbent, the President shall appoint thereto a suitable person belonging to the political party of the officer whom he is to replace, save in the case of a mayor, which shall be filled by the vice-mayor.

(c) Whenever the election for a local office fails to take place on the date fixed by law, or such election results in a failure to elect, the President shall issue as soon as practicable, a proclamation calling a special election to fill said office.

(d) When a local officer-elect dies before assumption of office, or, having been elected provincial or municipal officer, his election is not confirmed by the President for disloyalty, or such officer-elect fails to qualify, for any reason, the President may in his discretion either call a special election or fill the office by appointment.

(e) In case a special election has been called and held and shall have resulted in a failure to elect, the President shall fill the office by appointment.

(f) The person appointed or elected to fill a vacancy in an elective provincial or municipal office shall hold the same for the unexpired term of the office.

SEC. 17. Call of special elections.-Special elections shall be called by the President by proclamation for a date which shall not be earlier than thirty days nor later than ninety days from the date of the proclamation, which shall specify the offices to be voted for, and whether it is for the purpose of filling a vacancy. The Secretary of the Interior shall send copies of the proclamation, in number sufficient for due distribution and publication, to the provincial treasurer of each province concerned, who in turn shall transmit the necessary copies to the municipal secretaries of the corresponding political division, and the secretaries, in turn, shall publish it in their respective localities, by posting at least three copies thereof in as many conspicuous places in each of their election precincts, and a copy in each of the polling places and public markets, and in the municipal building.

SEC. 18. Posting and translation of Election Code.-A printed copy of the Election Code in English or Spanish and in the national language, and, whenever possible, in the local dialect shall be posted in a conspicuous way in every polling place on all registration and election days, so that it may be readily consulted by any person offering to register or to vote.

The translation of this Code into the national language and into the local dialects shall be made by the Institute of National Language.

SEC. 19. Expenses of election.-(a) The expenses of an election shall be advanced by the municipal treasurer concerned and shall be charged against the branch of the government for which the election was held, and, if for more than one branch, against the corresponding branches of the government, in equal parts.

(b) The expenses incident to the holding of the first election in a new municipality shall be advanced, as may be necessary, by the province, and such municipality shall reimburse the same upon presentation of the proper bill.

SEC. 20. Official mail and telegrams regarding elections.— Papers connected with the elections required by this Code to be sent by some public officers to others in the performance of their duties shall be free of postage and sent as registered and rush mail. Telegrams of the same nature shall also be sent free of charge.

ARTICLE II.

Candidacies and Eligibility of Candidates

SEC. 21. Limitation upon reëlection.-A third consecutive reëlection to the offices of provincial governor and mayor is hereby prohibited and shall be null and void.

SEC. 22. Automatic cessation of appointive officers and employees who are candidates.-Every person holding a public appointive office or position shall ipso facto cease in his office or position on the date he files his certificate of candidacy.

SEC. 23. Disqualification to act on provincial boards and municipal councils.-Any member of a provincial board or of a municipal council who is a candidate for office in any election, shall be incompetent to act on said body in the performance of the duties thereof relative to said election, and if, for such reason, the number of members should be unduly depleted, the President shall appoint any disinterested voter of the province, municipality or city concerned belonging to the political party of the incompetent member to act in his place on such matters.

SEC. 24. Disqualification on account of excessive election expenditures.-Any candidate who, in an action or protest in which he is a party, is declared by final decision of a competent court guilty of having spent in his election campaign more than the total emoluments attached to the office for one year, shall be disqualified from continuing as candidate, or if he has been elected, from holding the office.

SEC. 25. Ineligibility of officer found disloyal to the government.-When a special election is called for the purpose of filling a vacancy on account of the non-confirmation by the President of the election of a provincial or municipal

officer as a result of a protest on the ground of his disloyalty to the constituted government, said officer shall be ineligible in such election, and his certificate of candidacy shall not be received nor shall the votes cast in his favor be counted.

SEC. 26. Certificate of candidacy for only one office.—No person shall be eligible unless, within the time fixed by law, he files a duly sworn certificate of candidacy, nor shall any person be eligible for more than one office to be filled in the same election, and if he files certificates of candidacy for more than one office, he shall not be eligible for any of them.

SEC. 27. Contents of certificate of candidacy.-The person concerned shall state in his certificate that he announces his candidacy for the office mentioned therein; that he is a resident of the province, city or municipality in which he launches his candidacy; that he is eligible for the office; the name of the political party to which he belongs, if he belongs to any, and his post-office address for all election purposes.

SEC. 28. Statement of the maternal surname.-In cases where there are two or more candidates for an office with the same name and surname, each shall state in his certificate of candidacy, in addition to his name, his paternal and maternal surnames, with the exception of the first one of them to hold an elective office, who may continue to use the name and the surname stated in his certificate of candidacy when he was elected.

SEC. 29. Nicknames.-Certificates of candidacy shall not contain nicknames of the candidate.

SEC. 30. Filing and distribution of certificates of candidacy. At least forty days before a regular election, and twenty days at least before a special election, the certificates of candidacy shall be filed with the officer hereinbelow mentioned, together with a number of clearly legible copies equal to four times the number of polling places to which the certificates shall be distributed, as follows:

(a) Those of candidates for national offices, with the Secretary of the Interior, who shall immediately send copies thereof to the Secretary of the National Assembly and to the secretary of the provincial board of each

province where the elections are to be held, and the latter officer shall in turn immediately forward copies to all the polling places. The Secretary of the Interior shall communicate the names of said candidates to the secretary of the provincial board by telegraph. If the certificate of candidacy is sent by mail, it shall be by registered mail, and the date on which the package was deposited in the post-office may be considered as the filing date thereof if confirmed by a telegram or radiogram addressed to the Secretary of the Interior on the same date.

(b) Certificates of candidacy for provincial offices shall be filed with the secretary of the provincial board of the province concerned, who shall immediately send copies thereof to all the polling places of the province and to the Secretary of the Interior.

(c) Certificates of candidacy for municipal offices shall be filed with the municipal secretary, who shall immediately send copies thereof to the polling places concerned, to the secretary of the provincial board, and to the Secretary of the Interior.

SEC. 31. Ministerial duty of receiving and acknowledging receipt. The Secretary of the Interior, the secretary of the provincial board, and the municipal secretary, in their respective cases, shall have the ministerial duty to receive the certificates of candidacy referred to in the preceding section, and to immediately acknowledge receipt thereof.

SEC. 32. Candidates in case of death or disqualification of another. If, after the expiration of the time limit for the filing of certificates of candidacy, a candidate with a certificate of candidacy duly filed should die or become disqualified, any legally qualified citizen may file with either the secretary of the provincial board, or the municipal secretary, without distinction, on or before midday of the day of the election, a certificate of candidacy for the office for which the deceased or disqualified person was a candidate, and if the death or disqualification should occur between the day before the election and the midday of election day, said certificate may be filed with any board of inspectors of the political division where he is a candidate.