Comelec junks DQ case vs ex-Marinduque lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has allowed former Marinduque congresswoman Regina Reyes to run to regain her seat. 

Voting 3-0, the Comelec’s First Division dismissed on Friday the disqualification case filed against Reyes by Elleasar Velasco, reportedly a relative of her rival Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

The poll body said Reyes is qualified to run, citing the identification certificate from the Bureau of Immigration which showed that she is a natural-born citizen.

Reyes also provided an “affidavit reiterating renunciation of foreign citizenship” while the complainant failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that she lacked the residency requirement for those running for public office, the Comelec added.

Reyes was unseated as a member of the 16th Congress on Feb. 2, after the Supreme Court affirmed her disqualification over her citizenship.  She had resided in the United States for several years before she reacquired her citizenship in 2005 under the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act. 

Velasco, who took over her post, is the son of Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, who also heads the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.