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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Comelec denies Joey Uy's motion for reconsideration, orders Abante's proclamation

Comelec denies Joey Uy's motion for reconsideration, orders Abante's proclamation

Published Jun 30, 2025 09:38 am  |  Updated Jun 30, 2025 01:17 pm

At A Glance

  • The Comelec en banc affirmed the decision of the Second Division granting the petition seeking to suspend the effects of and or recall the proclamation of Luis Joey Chua Uy and upheld Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. as the duly elected representative of Manila's 6th district, ruling that Uy is not a natural-born Filipino citizen and thus ineligible to hold office.
The Comelec en banc has affirmed the Second Division's ruling that declared outgoing Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Benny Abante Jr. the duly elected member of the House of Representatives for the sixth district of Manila.
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante (PPAB)
In its resolution dated June 30, 2025, the Comelec en banc denied the motion for reconsideration of Abante's rival, Luis Joey Chua Uy. To recall, the Second Division granted Abante's petition seeking to suspend the effects of and/or recall the proclamation of Uy.
false>false>false>false>Uy's proclamation as the duly elected member of the House of Representatives for the sixth district of Manila, according to the Comelec en banc, is annulled. It also directed the Board of Canvassers of the City of Manila to reconvene and proclaim Abante, the only qualified candidate, as the duly elected member of the House of Representatives for the sixth district of Manila.
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Drawing from the respondent's arguments, the Commission en banc addressed in the resolution whether the Second Division erred in giving due course to the petition notwithstanding the lapse of the 25-day period for the filing of a petition under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code as well as the Commission's jurisdiction over a petition filed after the candidate's proclamation.
According to the Commission en banc, while the Second Division provided in its resolution that In effect, he made a false declaration in his COC, which constitutes material representation under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code, such statement did not transform the nature of the petition into one under Section 78 of the OEC.
It said that rather, the petition has consistently and unequivocally sought the enforcement of Section 6, Article VI, of the Constitution, asserting that the Respondent is not a natural-born Filipino citizen and that his election and proclamation are void.
The grant of the broad powers to the Commission under the Constitution includes exercise of jurisdiction over the qualifications and election of the Respondent in the instant case even after the proclamation, it said.
For the Commission to turn a blind eye to a question still under its jurisdiction would be to abdicate its constitutional duty to safeguard the sanctity of our elections, and to permit, by its own hand, the election of someone who, after the Commission's thorough evaluation of the evidence, is unqualified ab initio, it added.
The respondent argued that the Second Division's ruling was erroneous for declaring Abante as the duly elected member of the House, citing the recent case of Mangudadatu v. Comelec, which categorically abandoned the second placer rule for having no legal foundation.
But the Comelec en banc stated that this case has not yet attained finality, and any abandonment of an old rule shall only be reckoned on the date it has become final.
On the other hand, it also stated that the respondent is not a Filipino citizen at the time of his birth.
Plainly, Respondent's Identification Certificate ascribes to him derivative citizenship by the very words 'Recognized as citizen of the Philippines' in view of the naturalization of his father, Uy Ho, it said.
Being a naturalized Filipino citizen, Respondent is, thus, not qualified to run for and be elected as a member of the House of Representatives, it added.
The Comelec en banc cited the Second Division's conclusion which stated the a natural-born citizen does not need to do anything to perfect his or her citizenship, in this case, the Respondent was issued an Identification Certificate by the Bureau of Immigration.
In a previous interview, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that an en banc decision will be executory five days after promulgation. 

Related Tags

Benny Abante Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Comelec
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