ABANTE, IDINEKLARA NG COMELEC NA NANALO BILANG 6TH DISTRICT MANILA CONGRESSMAN
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Idineklara ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) si Cong. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante, Jr. bilang reelected Congressman ng ikaanim na distrito ng lungsod ng Maynila, matapos ipawalang-bisa ng Comelec Second Division ang certificate of candidacy (COC) ng kanyang nakalaban sa halalan na si Luis “Joey” Chua Uy.
Batay sa desisyong inilabas nitong Miyerkules, idineklara ng Comelec na hindi kandidato sa katatapos na halalan si Chua Uy dahil void ang kanyang COC na nagbigay-daan upang si Abante ang maiproklamang nanalo sa katatapos na halalan.
Ipinaliwanag ng Comelec na si Chua Uy ay hindi isang natural-born citizen kundi isang ‘naturalized citizen, taliwas sa impormasyong nakasaad sa kanyang COC.
Ayon sa Comelec, nang ipinanganak si Chua Uy noong Marso 15, 1962 ay isang Chinese citizen pa ang kanyang ama, na naging naturalized Filipino citizen lamang noong Agosto 28, 1967. Ang kanyang ina naman ay isang Filipino citizen bago ang kasal nito noong Enero 1944, sa kanyang ama na isang Chinese national.
Ayon sa Comelec, sa ilalim ng 1935 Constitution at sa civil law provisions na umiiral ng panahong iyon, ang mga babae ay awtomatikong natatanggalan ng Filipino citizenship at naa-acquire ang citizenship ng kanyang dayuhang asawa.
Dahil diyan, sinabi ng Comelec na ang mga magulang ni Chua Uy ay parehong hindi Pilipino nang siya ay ipanganak.
“Accordingly, both parents were non-Filipinos when respondent was born, thereby precluding the latter from being considered a natural-born Filipino. Since natural-born citizenship requires that the individual be a citizen of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect such citizenship, respondent cannot validly claim natural-born status,” saad ng Comelec.
“His Identification Certificate which recognized Respondent as a citizen of the Philippines solely by virtue of ‘being the legitimate son of Uy Ho, a Naturalized Filipino Citizen.’ This document confirms that Respondent’s citizenship was not acquired by birthright but derived from the naturalization of his father,” dagdag pa nito.
Bukod dito, si Chua Uy ay inisyuhan rin umano ng identification certificate ng Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Anang Comelec, “The BI will not get involved unless there is a need for the administration and enforcement of immigration, citizenship and alien admission and registration laws. Thus, respondent’s acquisition of citizenship was not without the performance of an act; it involved the processing and approval of an Identification Certificate which requires specific conditions and documentary requirements, and was dependent on the grant of citizenship to his father.”
Matapos na ikonsidera si Chua Uy bilang “non-candidate” at pinawalang-bisa ang kanyang COC, sinabi ng Comelec na, “The votes cast in his favor are considered stray and should not have been counted.”
“WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Petition is GRANTED. The proclamation for Respondent LUIS ‘JOEY’ CHUA UY is hereby ANNULLED,” anang Comelec.
“Petitioner BIENVENIDO ‘BENNY’ MIRANDO ABANTE, JR., the only qualified candidate who garnered the highest number of votes is hereby declared as the duly elected Member of the House of Representatives of the Sixth District of the City of Manila. So ordered,” dagdag pa nito.
Samantala, nilinaw naman ni Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia na sakali umanong maglabas ng desisyon ang Comelec en banc, ito ay magiging ‘executory’ o ipatutupad matapos ang limang araw mula sa promulgasyon nito. (Jerry Tan)