The camp of a winning congressional candidate in Zamboanga del Norte has filed a petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc to reconvene the provincial Board of Canvassers (BOC), and proclaim Roberto “Pinpin” Uy Jr. as the prevailing candidate in the first district of the province.

Uy’s camp filed the petition with the Comelec Thursday afternoon as it also urged the poll agency to look into alleged irregularities that marred the proclamation proceedings.

“We urge the Commission to investigate the irregularities in the conduct of the proclamation proceedings in Zambo del Norte as confirmed by the provincial elections officer, and purportedly involving, supposedly, the chairman of the Comelec, himself,” said Uy’s lawyer Dino De Leon.

The petition stemmed from the refusal of the Zamboanga del Norte provincial BOC to proclaim Uy as winner in the first district congressional race. Uy garnered 69,519 votes, winning by a slim margin of 482 votes over Rep. Romeo Jalosjos Jr. Another Jalosjos – Federico – got 5,424 votes.

The refusal to proclaim Uy was allegedly made on orders of Comelec Chairperson Saidamen Pangarungan to Zamboanga del Norte Board of Canvassers Chairperson Verly Adanza.

In a phone call, Pangarungan reportedly confirmed an earlier order by the Comelec en banc that declared Federico Jalosjos as a nuisance candidate, and canceling his certificate of candidacy (COC).

The cancelation of Federico’s COC would reportedly lead to the transfer of his votes to Rep. Romeo Jalosjos, who will, in effect, handily win over Uy.

At a meeting with the provincial BOC, De Leon said they were presented with an “advanced copy” of the order, declaring Federico Jalosjos as a nuisance candidate.

But Uy’s camp questioned the veracity of the order, alleging that it was not officially released by the Clerk of the Comelec, and was merely a copy of the Comelec en banc resolution.

“It was just an email coming from the Chairman. No certification from the clerk of the Commission, who should have released it. And it was not signed by the other Commissioners of the Comelec,” De Leon charged.

Uy’s camp also found it irregular that Adanza got a confirmation from a person – supposedly being Pangarungan – who told her over the phone that the provincial BOC can stop the proclamation of Uy.

“It was not even verified that the Comelec Chairman, himself, was on the phone,” De Leon said.

And if it had, indeed, been Pangarungan who put a stop to the proceedings, De Leon said the Comelec chairman “should not be doing that”. “He’s too invested in this case.”