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.”
