The Supreme Court (SC) was asked to nullify the June 30, 2025 ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that declared Bienvenido Abante Jr. as the duly elected member of the House of Representatives for Manila’s sixth district.

In a petition filed by Luis Joey Chua Uy, who had earlier been declared winner and ordered proclaimed, the case should now be handled by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), not the Comelec as a full commission.

Uy took his oath of office before Manila regional trial court Executive Judge Carolina Icasiano-Sison last May 26.

With its June 30 ruling, the Comelec upheld the June 18 resolution of the poll body’s second division which annulled Uy’s proclamation as duly elected congressman on the issue of Filipino citizenship.

Uy challenged the Comelec’s June 30 ruling before the SC in a petition filed for him by the Gialogo & Associates law firm led by lawyer Edward G. Gialogo.

Uy told the SC that at noon of June 30, 2025 he will formally assume as an official member of the House of Representatives for Manila’s sixth district.

Thus, he said that starting June 30 onward, the jurisdiction over any questions involving his election, returns or qualifications become exclusively vested in the HRET.

He added that any further attempt to challenge his qualification or his right to hold office “falls outside of Comelec’s jurisdiction and is now properly within the exclusive purview of the HRET.”

He pointed out that despite the clear constitutional boundary, the Comelec proceeded to promulgate a resolution on June 30, 2025 affirming its second division ruling that annulled his certificate of candidacy on alleged material misrepresentation.

He stressed to the SC that “the threatened implementation of the Comelec resolutions, extending beyond noon of June 30, 2025—at which time jurisdiction exclusively and conclusively transferred to the HRET—is therefore jurisdictionally infirm and unenforceable.”

Thus, Uy said that any attempt of the Comelec to implement its resolutions “clearly exceeds its constitutional jurisdiction.”

He asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a status quo order to maintain the status of the parties to their respective positions before the issuance by the Comelec of the June 18 and June 30 resolutions.

Uy told the SC that the birth certificate and marriage certificate he presented confirm that he was born to a Chinese father, who subsequently acquired Filipino citizenship through naturalization, and to a natural-born Filipina mother.

Thus, he asserted that his natural-born Filipino citizenship is clearly supported by factual evidence and was asserted in good faith.

Also, he said his personal history consistently affirms his genuine Filipino identity as he was born and raised in Manila, received his education in local schools, resides permanently in Manila, has regularly exercised his right to vote as a Filipino citizen, and actively participated in democratic processes.

At the same time, he said he had served as an elected councilor of Manila’s 6th District for several terms, demonstrating long-standing public service to the Filipino people.

The SC resumes its session on Tuesday, July 1 after a month-long decision-writing period.

It was not known immediately if Uy’s petition will be tackled in Tuesday’s full court session.