“This is a victory not just for me and the voters of Manila’s sixth district—but for the Constitution, and the Rule of Law.”
This was the statement of Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. following the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision to annul the proclamation of Luis “Joey” Chua Uy and declare Abante as the duly elected Representative of Manila’s 6th District.
Abante emphasized: “The Constitution is clear—only natural-born Filipino citizens are qualified to serve in Congress. The Comelec ruling reaffirms this fundamental requirement and protects the integrity of our democratic institutions.”
He also stressed the broader implications of the decision: “This case sets an important precedent. It reminds us that those seeking public office must be held to the highest standards of eligibility and truthfulness. Our people deserve leaders whose allegiance to the country is beyond question, and whose qualifications are beyond doubt.”
In its decision, the Comelec ruled that Uy committed material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy (COC) by falsely declaring that he was a natural-born Filipino citizen. The Commission concluded that Uy is “at most a naturalized citizen” and therefore ineligible to run for Congress under Section 6, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, which mandates that “No person shall be a Member of the House of Representatives unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.”
As a result, the Comelec stated: “The proclamation of respondent Luis ‘Joey’ Chua Uy is hereby annulled… and Bienvenido M. Abante Jr., being the only qualified candidate who garnered the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the duly elected member of the House of Representatives for the Sixth District of the City of Manila.”
The Commission underscored that disqualification due to ineligibility is not a mere post-election concern, but one that invalidates the candidate’s status from the very beginning. Citing the landmark Maquiling v. Comelec decision, it held that such disqualification renders the candidate’s COC void ab initio, and votes cast in his favor are thus considered stray.
Abante’s petition cited evidence showing that Uy, born in 1962 to Chinese citizen parents, only acquired Philippine citizenship after his father was naturalized in 1967. Uy was later issued an Identification Certificate by the Bureau of Immigration—not by virtue of birthright, but as a derivative of his father’s naturalization.
“A natural-born citizen acquires citizenship by birth, without the need for any act or proceeding. Mr. Uy’s case clearly required legal processes under naturalization laws, disqualifying him from ever being considered natural-born,” the ruling read.
Abante concluded: “This is not about personalities—this is about the rule of law. The Constitution must prevail. Our democracy depends on it.”
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