Marinduque heiress told: Heed SC order

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—The camp of Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco asked his rival, Regina Reyes, to respect the decision of the Supreme Court by giving up her seat in the 16th Congress.

“She has no more legal basis to stay in that position, which, for all legal intents and purposes, should be occupied by [Velasco],” said Velasco’s counsel, Danny Gapasin, in a text message.

But Reyes, a daughter of incumbent Marinduque Gov. Carmencita Reyes, just won’t do that, at least not without a decision from the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).

The Supreme Court decision “does not resolve the issues yet. There are at least three other [election] protests filed at the HRET [and] those must be resolved first,” lawyer Gregorio Larrazabal said on behalf of Reyes, who was in a committee meeting on Wednesday when the Inquirer tried to reach her for comment.

In a statement, Velasco said Supreme Court jurisdiction over the case had been recognized by Reyes herself when Reyes filed a petition to question the Commission on Elections’ decision to disqualify her for being an American citizen.

Velasco said Reyes, by defying the high court ruling, “exposes herself not only to a possible administrative case of disbarment but also to criminal prosecution for usurpation of official functions.”

Reyes, according to Velasco, is also exposing herself to possible violation of the Constitution and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.