Marinduque poll case: House asked to remove political clan heiress

The fight for the lone House seat representing Marinduque has been settled by the Supreme Court and the high court’s ruling should be heeded, according to the legislator who is now asking the House leadership to recognize him as representative of Marinduque.

In a letter to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco said the House leadership should respect the high court decision on Dec. 3 denying with finality the appeal of Regina Reyes for a reversal of a June 25 ruling that upheld a Commission on Elections  (Comelec) decision disqualifying Reyes.

In a statement, Velasco also said he was asking Reyes, who has occupied the House seat representing Marinduque since the start of the session of Congress, to vacate the seat in compliance with the June 25 resolution of the Supreme Court.

The June 25 Supreme Court ruling upheld a Comelec decision on May 14 canceling Reyes’ certificate of candidacy after Reyes was found to be not a natural-born Filipino and to lack residency requirements to run for a House seat.

In his statement, Velasco said while Reyes argued that the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) has jurisdiction over the case, she did not file a case at the HRET, but at the high court, virtually recognizing the high court’s jurisdiction over the case.

Reyes recognized the Supreme Court jurisdiction over the case when she filed a motion for reconsideration at the high court that was denied on Oct. 22. She filed a second motion to reverse the Oct. 22 decision but this was again denied in a final and executory decision by the high court on Dec. 3.

The Comelec decision disqualifying Reyes relied partly on her admission that she became an American citizen by virtue of her marriage to Saturnino Ador Dionisio, a US citizen, and an original certification from the Bureau of Immigration that Reyes is a US passport holder.

On July 16, the special board of canvassers formed by the Comelec proclaimed Velasco as representative of Marinduque. Reyes did not file a petition at the HRET or the Supreme Court to question this.

Reyes’ case is one of the reasons being cited by a congressman who is leading a move to file an impeachment case against justices of the Supreme Court for the impeachment move.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said the justices should be taken to task for their flip-flopping rulings on Reyes’ case. With a report by Leila B. Salaverria