Section 23September 7, 2007, Sec./Art. 23

Permanent Vacancies in the Sanggunian. - Permanent vacancies in the sangguniang panlalawigan where automatic succession as provided above does not apply shall be filled by appointments in the following manner:

(a) The President, through the Executive Secretary, shall make the aforesaid appointments;

(b) Only the nominee of the political party under which the sanggunian member concerned had been elected shall be appointed in the manner herein provided. The appointee shall come from the political party as that of the sanggunian member who caused the vacancy and shall serve the unexpired term of the vacant office. In the appointment herein mentioned, a nomination and a certificate of membership of the appointee from the highest official of the political party concerned are conditions sine qua non, and any appointment without such nomination and certification shall be null and void ab initio and shall be a ground for administrative action against the official responsible therefor;

(c) In case the permanent vacancy is caused by a sanggunian member who does not belong to any political party, the provincial governor shall, upon the recommendation of the sangguniang panlalawigan, appoint a qualified person to fin in the vacancy; and

(d) In case of vacancy in the representation of the sangguniang kabataan, the sangguniang barangay and the provincial league of councilors in the sangguniang panlalawigan, said vacancy shall be filled automatically by the official next in rank of the organization concerned.