Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal has urged any registered voter or taxpayer to bring the case of Yedda Romualdez’s assumption of a fourth term as representative before either the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) or the Supreme Court.

Macalintal was referring to the recognition of Romualdez as the new third representative of the Tingog party-list, despite previously representing the 1st District of Leyte from 2016 to 2019 and serving as Tingog party-list representative from 2019 to 2025.

He said that under the 1987 Constitution, “no member of the House of Representatives shall serve for more than three consecutive terms.”

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) also acknowledged that the case could be questioned before the HRET, particularly on the grounds of a potential violation of the three-term limit rule.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said he agrees with critics who argue that Romualdez’s qualifications as a member of the 20th Congress could be subject to legal scrutiny.

“If anyone questions why she can be a congresswoman even though she is in her 4th straight term, that can be brought before the HRET,” Garcia said.

“That is a very good legal issue that can be used to provide clarity and guidance to the Comelec on the true interpretation of the three-term limit,” he added.

Romualdez, originally the sixth nominee of the Tingog party-list, was proclaimed as the new third nominee after the resignation of the third nominee and the removal of the fourth and fifth nominees.