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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House seat drama: Why is no one listed as Zamboanga del Norte 1st district congressman?

House seat drama: Why is no one listed as Zamboanga del Norte 1st district congressman?

Published Dec 29, 2022 11:08 am

There is great confusion and frustration right now in the first district of Zamboanga del Norte due to the absence of a duly-elected congressman over seven months after the May polls were held.

(PPAB)


The supposed winner of the congressional seat race, Rep. Romeo Jalosjos Jr., has been removed from the offiial rooster of the House of Representatives because of an electoral protest pending before the Supreme Court (SC).

His name was taken off the rooster barely a month after he was proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as the duly elected congressman of the first district of Zamboanga del Norte.

"That's the problem now. There is no congressman who will directly attend to the needs of the people in the eight municipalities of the first district of the province," said Buddy Cagbabauan, local Public Information Office (PIO) chief.

"They needed financial assistance, medical assistance," he said of the constituency of the first district.

Making things worse were the recent floods in the southern parts of the country, which gave rise to more people in need.

Cagbabauan said that local residents believe Jalosjos's reinstatement "could help in providing immediate assistance and other reliefs to the victims of landslides and flash floods in his district brought about by heavy rains that struck Mindanao and the Visayas on Christmas Day".

Further complicating matters is what Cagbabauan described as the hands off nature of the designated district caretaker, "thus the clamor and prayer to reinstate Jalosjos on the list of official members of Congress".

Currently, there is nobody listed as Zamboanga del Norte 1st district congressman on the House website.

In the race for congressman in Zamboanga del Norte's first district, Roberto Uy Jr. garnered 69,591 votes, with Jalosjos Jr. coming in as close second with 69,109 votes. Fredrico Jalosjos Jr., who was eventually declared a nuisance candidate, received 5,424 votes.

Comelec would eventually credit to Romeo the 5,424 votes garnered by nuisance bet Frederico, paving the way for the farmer's declaration on June 23 as the winner. Uy challenged this and filed a manifestation that Jalosjos Jr. was proclaimed without due notice to his camp.

Zamboanga del Norte's House seat drama has already gained the attention of other congressmen.

In a parliamentary inquiry on the plenary floor last Dec. 12, Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, on behalf of the Nacionalista Party (NP), sought a clarification on the status of Jalosjos Jr.

Barbers said House rules provide that if a candidate has been proclaimed winner by the Comelec and the proclamation's validity is questioned in a judicial or administrative body, the candidate who was proclaimed winner and assumed office on June 30 following the election shall remain a House member absent final and executory judgment on or resolution of the question over the proclamation of the member by the appropriate judicial or administrative bodies.

In response to this, Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin moved that the House secretary general refer the matter to the chamber's legal affairs office "for further study and assessment".

Related Tags

house seat nuisance Robert Ace Barbers romeo jalosjos jr. House of Representatives roberto uy jr. congressional first district ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE race drama
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