The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has declared Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. as the duly elected representative of Manila’s 6th District, following the annulment of Luis “Joey” Chua Uy’s certificate of candidacy.
In its 22-page resolution dated June 18, the Second Division ruled that Uy is not a natural-born Filipino citizen, stating that “he is at most a naturalized citizen, not a natural-born one.” The decision cited that Uy’s father was not a Filipino citizen at the time of Uy’s birth. This rendered Uy’s certificate of candidacy void from the beginning.
Uy was initially proclaimed the winning candidate after receiving more votes than Abante in the May 2025 midterm elections. However, Abante filed a petition seeking to cancel Uy’s candidacy due to questions about his citizenship status.
After reviewing the case, the Comelec concluded that Uy did not meet the constitutional requirement of natural-born citizenship to be eligible for the position of representative.
As Uy’s candidacy was declared void ab initio, the Comelec ruled that all votes cast in his favor were considered stray. The Commission then directed the Manila Board of Canvassers to annul Uy’s earlier proclamation and to proclaim Abante as the official winner, being the only remaining qualified candidate who obtained the highest number of valid votes.
The decision has sparked widespread controversy, particularly on social media, where critics have accused the the House of Representatives in conjunction with Comelec of using legal technicalities to reward political allies.
Abante, who has drawn attention in recent congressional hearings for his confrontational style, is widely known as a key defender and attack dog of House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Online speculation suggests that the ruling is a political favor for Abante’s perceived loyalty and aggressive stance during televised committee investigations.
Abante is set to return to the House of Representatives as the representative of Manila’s 6th District, which covers the barangays of Sta. Ana, Paco, Pandacan, San Miguel, and Sta. Mesa.
He is expected to assume office when the 20th Congress convenes on June 30.
