Supreme Court nullifies Jalosjos proclamation

DIPOLOG CITY - The Supreme Court invalidated the proclamation of Romeo Jalosjos Jr. as Zamboanga del Norte’s first district congressman.

Voting 12-2, the high court ruled in favor of Jalosjos' rival, Roberto Uy Jr. more than a year after the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) proclaimed the former the winning candidate in the May 2022 elections. The two justices who did not agree with the decision written by Associate Justice Mario Lopez were Marvic Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, an unimpeachable source told The Manila Times. 

Rep. Romeo Jalosjos Jr

The COMELEC on June 23, 2022 proclaimed Jalosjos the winner of the congressional race in the May 9 polls. But the following month, the Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order preventing Jalosjos from sitting in Congress. The resolution was issued in response to a petition filed by Uy Jr. on June 7.

Uy protested the election results and the disqualification of nuisance candidate Federico Jalosjos, who is not related to Romeo Jr., whose votes were added to the latter's total votes. The Supreme Court required the parties to observe the status quo prior to the release of the COMELEC order that helped pave the way for Jalosjos' proclamation.

The justices also required the COMELEC and Jalosjos to comment on the petitions within 10 days of receipt of the notice. This forced Jalosjos to vacate his seat before the start of the 19th Congress.

Jalosjos, the son of former congressman Romeo Jalosjos Sr., originally garnered 69,109 votes, placing him second to Uy, who received 69,591 votes. The COMELEC, however, decided to "legally pass" to Jalosjos the 5,424 votes obtained by Federico after the latter was declared a nuisance candidate. Because of this, Jalosjos got a total of 74,533 votes, allowing him to beat Uy by 4,942 votes.

As a result of the Supreme Court's status quo ante order, the name of Jalosjos was stricken off the roster of the House of Representatives. The Supreme Court resolution eventually sowed confusion over who should be Zamboanga del Norte's first district representative in Congress. 

In a parliamentary inquiry last December, Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte, 2nd District), on behalf of the Nacionalista Party, sought clarification on the status of Jalosjos Jr. Barbers said House rules provide that if a candidate has been proclaimed the winner by the COMELEC and the proclamation's validity is questioned in a judicial or administrative body, the candidate who was proclaimed the winner and assumed office on June 30 following the election shall remain a House member absent final and executory judgment by the appropriate judicial or administrative bodies. (The Manila Times)