FORMER Manila councilor Luis “Joey” Chua Uy has urged the Supreme Court (SC) to swiftly resolve his petition challenging the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision to nullify his victory in the May 2025 congressional race, arguing that voters in Manila’s 6th District continue to be deprived of their chosen representative.
Uy said over the weekend that he remained hopeful that the high court would rule on his petition for certiorari and restore his proclamation as the district’s duly elected representative.
Uy topped the May 2025 congressional race with 64,746 votes, beating reelectionist Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr., who garnered 63,358 votes, by 1,388 votes.
He was proclaimed winner on May 13, 2025, and took his oath of office on May 26. However, the Comelec lnullified his proclamation following a complaint questioning his citizenship, paving the way for Abante to assume the congressional seat.
Uy said his supporters were upset by the development, but he urged them to trust the judicial process.
“I told them we have an appeal before the Supreme Court and that, in the end, what is right will prevail,” he said.
Uy filed an ad cautelam petition for certiorari and prohibition before the SC on June 30, 2025. The case, docketed as G.R. No. 280887, challenges the Comelec’s resolutions that annulled his proclamation.
His lawyer, Jordan Pizarras, argued that the poll body gravely abused its discretion by entertaining Abante’s complaint beyond the mandatory 25-day period under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code.
Pizarras said the deadline for filing a petition to deny due course to or cancel Uy’s certificate of candidacy was Oct. 26, 2024. Abante filed his complaint on May 22, 2025, months after Uy submitted his candidacy papers on Oct. 1, 2024.
Pizarras also maintained that Uy qualifies as a natural-born Filipino, citing his Filipino mother and his father’s naturalization as a Filipino citizen when Uy was five years old.
He invoked the SC’s 1991 ruling in Co v. Electoral Tribunal of the House of Representatives, involving Jose Ong Jr., whose Filipino citizenship was challenged because his father was Chinese.
In Ong’s case, the Court recognized his natural-born Filipino status, considering his mother’s citizenship and his father’s naturalization while he was still a minor.
Pizarras argued that Uy’s circumstances similarly support his claim to Filipino citizenship, pointing to his lifelong ties to Manila and his participation in public service.
Born in Manila in 1962, Uy grew up in the city, studied there, established his family, and built his career in business and public service. He also served as a Manila councilor for four terms and participated in civic activities, including Rotary and youth leadership.
His camp argued that these circumstances demonstrate an implied election of Philippine citizenship, which it maintains satisfies the constitutional requirement for those born before Jan. 17, 1973, to Filipino mothers and foreign fathers.
The petition also contends that the Comelec violated election laws by annulling Uy’s proclamation despite his having obtained the highest number of votes. It invokes Republic Act 7166, which generally bars pre-proclamation controversies in elections for members of the House of Representatives, subject to statutory exceptions.
Uy’s camp further argued that the SC retains jurisdiction to review alleged grave abuse of discretion by the Comelec, notwithstanding Abante’s assumption of office.
Pizarras said the case goes beyond Uy’s personal claim to the congressional seat, emphasizing the right of voters to have their chosen representative in the House of Representatives.
“We hope and pray that the Supreme Court will act and give justice not only to Joey but also to the constituents of the 6th District of Manila,” he said.
“One of the attributes of democracy is being able to vote and send your representative to the lawmaking body. If we cannot send our representative, then why do we even hold elections?” he added.
