Zamboanga del Norte 1st district Rep. Roberto Uy Jr. (4th from right) finally takes his oath as a House member on Nov. 13, 2023. (PPAB) 

A year and a half after the May 2022 polls, Roberto “Pinpin” Uy, Jr. can finally call himself a congressman. 

This, after House Speaker Martin Romualdez himself officiated Uy's oath-taking at a member of the current 19th Congress during plenary session Monday, Nov. 13. 

Uy now occupies the seat of Zamboanga del Norte 1st district representative. 

Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) upheld Uy's status as the rightful winner of the 2022 congressional race in his district. This was further validated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last Friday, Nov. 10. 

"I am honored by this proclamation and the trust that the people of the 1st district of Zamboanga del Norte have placed in me. I am committed to working tirelessly to bring back the old glory of our beloved province," Uy said after his declaration. 

Uy secured victory in the May 2022 elections with 69,591 votes, closely followed by Romeo Jalosjos, Jr. (R. Jalosjos) with 69,109 votes. Other candidates Frederico Jalosjos (F. Jalosjos) and Richard Amazon received 5,424 and 288 votes, respectively. 

The legal dispute stemmed from the Provincial Board of Canvassers' decision to declare R. Jalosjos as the winning candidate, attributing the votes of F. Jalosjos, initially declared a nuisance candidate, to him. 

Also sworn in on Monday--this time as newly-elected deputy speakers in the House--were Isabela 1st district Rep. Tonypet Albano and Lanao del Norte 2nd district Yasser Alonto Balindong. 

Romualdez also officiated the oath-takings of Albano and Balindong, who last week replaced Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab, respectively.