Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) affirmed the decision of its Second Division declaring Bienvenido Abante Jr. as the duly elected representative of the Sixth District of Manila. In a 12-page ruling, the Comelec en banc ordered the City Board of Canvassers (CBOC) to reconvene and declare Abante as the winner in the May 12 midterm elections.

According to Philippines News Agency, the poll body annulled the proclamation of Luis Chua Uy, who garnered 64,746 votes against Abante's 63,358. The Second Division had earlier determined that Uy is not a natural-born citizen but a "naturalized citizen," contradicting his declaration in his certificate of candidacy.

Uy argued that he was born and raised in Manila, attended local schools, resides in Manila, has consistently voted as a Filipino citizen, and served as a councilor of Manila's 6th District for several terms. However, the Comelec en banc noted that Uy did not dispute the authenticity of the evidence submitted by Abante, particularly the Identification Certificate issued by the Bureau of Immigration.

The Comelec stated that Uy did not claim the contents of the Identification Certificates to be false or fabricated. The poll body interpreted this as an implied admission that the Certificates were genuinely issued to him and his parents.

According to Abante's petition, Uy was the legitimate child of a Chinese father who later became naturalized and a Filipino mother who lost her citizenship following her marriage to Uy's father. The Second Division concluded that both of Uy's parents were non-Filipinos at the time of his birth, preventing him from being considered a natural-born Filipino.

The decision emphasized that natural-born citizenship requires an individual to be a citizen of the Philippines from birth without needing to perform any act to acquire or perfect such citizenship. Consequently, Uy cannot validly claim natural-born status.