Comelec declares Abante re-elected Manila rep

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division declared Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. as the re-elected representative for Manila's 6th District.

This decision followed the voiding of Abante's opponent, Luis "Joey" Chua Uy's, candidacy due to material misrepresentation about his citizenship.

The Comelec ruled that Uy, whose father was naturalized in 1967, five years after Uy's birth, could not be considered a natural-born Filipino citizen as required by the Constitution.

Uy's certificate of candidacy was declared void ab initio, meaning his 64,746 votes were considered stray and not counted.

Abante, who received 63,358 votes, was thus deemed the only qualified candidate.

The ruling, promulgated on June 18, prompts questions about why Uy's citizenship issue was not resolved before the May 12 election or during the canvassing period, especially with the new congressional term beginning on June 30.