Comelec: Abante’s win in House race final
The decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc to proclaim reelectionist Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. as the duly elected House Representative of Manila’s sixth district is now final and executory.
On Monday, it issued a certificate of finality and entry of judgment on its June 30 ruling which upheld the Comelec Second Division’s decision to annul the proclamation of Abante’s rival, Joey Chua Uy, and also directed the City Board of Canvassers (CBOC) to proclaim Abante as the winner in the congressional race for the city’s sixth district.
The poll body en banc noted that it did not receive any restraining order from the Supreme Court within five days after both parties were informed of its decision on the case.
“Now therefore, in view of the foregoing, the resolution of the Commission (en banc) promulgated [on] 30 June 2025 is hereby declared immediately executory in accordance with the Comelec rules of procedure,” the en banc’s two-page certificate of finality issued on July 7 read.
On June 18, the poll body’s Second Division voided the certificate of candidacy (COC) of Uy after it ruled he is a naturalized Filipino and not natural born. It said that Uy “made a false declaration in his COC, which constitutes material misrepresentation under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code.”
Abante lost his reelection bid to Uy in a tight race after he received 63,358 votes, compared to his rival’s 65,746.
Independent body
Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia, meanwhile, said that he was leaving it up to the CBOC in Manila’s sixth district to decide whether or not it has the jurisdiction to proclaim Abante as the winner after June 30, which marked the start of the term for newly elected local officials.
“We will let the CBOC decide on the matter because they are an independent body. The issue will be elevated to them because as far as the Comelec is concerned, its decision becomes executory five days after promulgation if there is no TRO or [temporary] restraining order issued,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.
The CBOC is composed of the district’s city election officer, Manila city prosecutor and the city superintendent of the Department of Education.
As for there being two certificates of proclamation for the House seat in the city’s sixth district following Uy’s earlier declaration as the winner, Garcia said that the losing candidate had filed a case in the Supreme Court. In his petition, Uy asked the high tribunal to compel the Comelec and the House of Representatives to recognize him as the duly elected representative.
“That is a legal issue and at the same time also a membership issue which only the House of Representatives can resolve. The Comelec has already done its duty of deciding on the citizenship case and our decision became final after five days when we did not receive a restraining order from the Supreme Court,” Garcia added.
