SC rules: Roberto Uy Jr. is Zamboanga del Norte 1st District representative

The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, August 8, to officialy declare Roberto “Pinpin” Uy Jr. as the rightful winner of the 2022 elections for Zamboanga del Norte’s 1st District representative.

The High Tribunal’s ruling, penned by Justice Mario Lopez, also overturned previous Comelec decisions that had temporarily halted Uy’s confirmation due to legal disputes surrounding Frederico “Kuya Jan” Jalosjos’ candidacy and the allocation of his votes.

Uy faced off against rivals like Romeo “Kuya Jonjon” M. Jalosjos Jr., Frederico “Kuya Jan” Jalosjos, and Richard Amazon in the 2022 elections. 

The legal wrangle emerged after the polls, primarily involving F. Jalosjos’ candidacy status and the distribution of his votes. Romeo contended that Frederico was a frivolous contender, and asked that Frederico’s votes be credited to him.

The Supreme Court found Comelec’s suspension of Uy’s confirmation and the subsequent vote redistribution, based on Romeo’s claims, to be an abuse of power. 

The court also said electoral officials must swiftly announce the candidate with the most votes, a duty not to be undermined. 

The SC said Comelec’s authority to delay the confirmation of a winning candidate doesn’t extend to cases involving nuisance candidates.

It also ruled that Frederico wasn’t a nuisance candidate, thus rejecting the idea of counting his votes in favor of Romeo. 

The Court pointed out distinct features on the ballots that set the candidates apart, despite their similar last names.

In the ruling, the SC also said the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) lacked jurisdiction over the case due to unmet prerequisites by Romeo. – Rappler.com