Comelec disqualifies opponent, declares Abante winner in Manila’s 6th District

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections Second Division has granted the petition of Rep. Benny Abante to void the proclamation of his opponent, Luis “Joey” Chua Uy, for not being a natural-born Filipino citizen.

With Uy disqualified, Abante was declared the “only qualified candidate” who received the highest number of votes in Manila’s 6th District, effectively making him the duly elected district representative for the 20th Congress.

“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,” Abante said in a statement on Thursday, June 19. 

Not natural-born. In a 22-page ruling dated June 18, the poll body agreed with Abante’s argument that Uy does not meet the requirement of being a natural-born Filipino, as his father was still a foreign national when he was born and became a citizen only through naturalization later on.

According to Article VI, Section 6 of the Constitution, members of the House of Representatives have to be natural-born citizens of the Philippines.

The Constitution defines natural-born citizens as individuals “who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship.”   

Since Uy’s mother and father were not Filipino citizens at the time of his birth, he gained Philippine citizenship by naturalization, not by birth, which involves no legal procedure.

“Respondent’s acquisition of citizenship occurred only after the naturalization of his father,” Comelec said. 

False claim in COC. The division also mentioned that the Bureau of Immigration had to issue Uy an Identification Certificate for his citizenship, which Comelec said is not needed for natural-born citizens. 

“He is at most a naturalized citizen, not a natural-born one. Therefore, Respondent’s claim, including his declaration under oath in his COC that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen, are wrong,” Comelec said. 

Constituting material misrepresentation, Uy’s false certificate of candidacy ultimately disqualifies him and causes his votes to be considered stray.

“Respondent’s proclamation should thus be annulled leaving Petitioner the only qualified candidate,” the poll body ruled. 

Abante: Ruling upholds rule of law

Abante lauded Comelec’s decision, saying his 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,” he added. 

Uy, running under Aksyon Demokratiko, edged out Abante by a slim margin in the 2025 midterm polls, earning over 64,000 votes compared to Abante’s 63,000.

Track record. In 2020, Abante was one of the few legislators who voted to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise. As human rights committee chair in the 19th Congress, he also served as co-chair of the House Quad Committee, leading the probe into extrajudicial killings, POGOs and drug-related corruption.

Abante was also an active participant in the House Tri-Committee’s legislative inquiry into disinformation and “fake news,” where he questioned politically-charged vloggers and social media personalities who spread unverified claims as though they were facts.

Abante first served as 6th District representative from 2004 to 2010, then returned to Congress in 2019. He won reelection in 2022, making the 20th Congress his final consecutive term before stepping down due to term limits.