The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has declared outgoing Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. as the duly elected representative of the district, following a ruling voiding the candidacy of his opponent, Luis "Joey" Chua Uy.
In a 22-page resolution released Thursday, 19 June, the Comelec Second Division ruled in favor of Abante's petition questioning Uy's eligibility based on citizenship. The petition alleged that Uy was not a natural-born Filipino citizen and therefore disqualified from running for Congress.
According to Abante, Uy derived his citizenship from his father, Uy Ho, who was naturalized as a Filipino citizen in 1967—five years after Joey Uy's birth in 1962. Abante argued that under the 1935 Constitution, legitimate children of foreign fathers cannot automatically acquire natural-born status.
The Second Division agreed, stating:
"Respondent could not be a lawful candidate, much less validly elected and proclaimed, as a district representative of the 6th District of the City of Manila because he clearly lacked the essential eligibility of being a natural-born Filipino citizen."
It added that Uy is barred from serving in the House of Representatives based on substantive legal grounds existing even before the filing of his certificate of candidacy.
The Comelec ruling emphasized that all votes cast in Uy's favor — who garnered 64,746 votes against Abante’s 63,358 — should be considered stray, effectively making Abante the only qualified candidate and the rightful winner in the 2025 national and local elections.
“Petitioner is the lone candidate and should be proclaimed as the duly elected Member of the House of Representatives for the 6th District of the City of Manila,” the decision read.
However, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia clarified that the ruling is not yet final and executory. Uy has five days to file a motion for reconsideration before the Commission en banc.
"Even if his proclamation is annulled, it will still have an effect as long as our decision is not yet final and executory," Garcia said in a virtual interview.
He added that the Comelec will issue a certificate of finality and entry of judgment once all remedies are exhausted.
If the ruling is upheld, Uy may also face legal consequences, including potential charges for material misrepresentation and perjury.