ZAMBOANGA CITY – Hundreds of supporters of Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo “Kuya Jon” M. Jalosjos Jr. gathered in Dapitan City on Tuesday, Dec. 27, to question the prolonged vacancy in the first district congressional seat at the House of Representatives.
The rally was held amid strong rain and flood that affected hundreds of residents.
Supporters arrived at Sunset Boulevard and proceeded to the City Hall to air their grievances.
Supporters decried limited social services during times of calamities after their congressman was delisted from the roster of representatives in the 19th Congress.
They lamented the prolonged vacancy and appealed to the Supreme Court to decide on the matter as soon as possible to avoid a vacuum in leadership.
Jalosjos was delisted from the official roster of the House of Representatives due to a status quo ante order by the Supreme Court in response to a pending election controversy.
Jalosjos, together with Roberto “Pinpin” Uy and a certain “Kuya Jan” Jalosjos, ran for the first congressional district seat in the May 2022 polls.
A month before the elections, the Comelec Second Division declared Kuya Jan Jalosjos a nuisance candidate but his name was not removed from the ballot.
Uy subsequently won the elections but on May 12, the Comelec suspended the proclamation of Uy as the winner, upheld the decision of the Second Division to declare Kuya Jan as a nuisance candidate, and added Kuya Jan’s votes to Jalosjos Jr.
On June 23, the Provincial Board of Canvassers proclaimed Jalosjos Jr. the winner.
The Supreme Court issued the status quo ante order last July which became the basis by the Secretary General of the 18th Congress to delist Jalosjos Jr. from the list of representatives.
On Dec. 15, Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers raised a parliamentary inquiry on the delisting of Jalosjos.
He questioned if the Secretary General who was elected during the 18th Congress still has the authority to delist any member after June 30 from the list of incoming elected representatives.
Barbers cited Section 4 of the House of Representatives rules which states that in cases there has been a proclaimed winner by the Commission on Elections and the validity of the proclamation is put in question, said member remains a member of the House.