Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. on Tuesday said he does not believe the Supreme Court’s latest ruling upholding the abandonment of the “second placer rule” would endanger his position in Congress despite his rival having received more votes in the 2025 elections.
While Abante acknowledged that the the SC should decide the pending case involving his congressional seat, he maintained that he remains the rightful occupant of the Manila 6th District post following the disqualification of Luis “Joey” Chua Uy.
“Well ako na ’to, diba?” Abante said in an interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel’s At The Forefront with Atty. Karen Jimeno.
Abante said he has always believed that his election was ultimately ordained by God, but admitted that he would have to respect whatever decision the high court makes on the pending case.
“I have always believed that it is God that ordains leaders. So kung halimbawa, the SC will judge. There is now a pending case against me. If, for example, the SC will support the pending against me, wala akong magagawa doon,” he said.
He argued, however, that the SC’s ruling on the second placer rule involved local elective positions where the Local Government Code provides specific rules of succession.
“Mayroong vice mayor, mayroon vice governor. Wala namang vice congressman. Wala namang vice senator,” he added.
Abante stressed that the congressional post is a “national elective position” and should not be treated in the same manner as local positions covered by the Local Government Code.
“And it is not only something that’s local, it’s a national position,” he said.
Abante also pointed to the citizenship issue that led to Uy’s disqualification, saying the former candidate was found to be a naturalized rather than a natural-born Filipino citizen.
“So no. 2, talaga makikita natin na yung kalaban ko is a naturalized citizen,” Abante said.
“Meron kaming pinanghahawakang ebidensya tungkol yan. Hindi pwedeng balewalain ng SC yan,” he added.
The Comelec earlier proclaimed Abante as the duly elected representative of Manila’s 6th District after its en banc decision voiding Uy’s proclamation became final.
Uy obtained 64,746 votes in the May 12, 2025 elections, while Abante received 63,358 votes.
The Comelec ruled that Uy was a naturalized citizen, contrary to his declaration in his certificate of candidacy that he was a natural-born Filipino.
Abante had challenged Uy’s citizenship before the Comelec.
The 1987 Constitution provides that no person may serve in the House of Representatives unless he is a natural-born Filipino citizen.
The SC recently reiterated that it has abandoned the “second placer rule” after ruling that a vice governor, rather than the candidate who placed second, must succeed to a permanently vacant governorship when the winning candidate is later found ineligible.
The high court stressed that the ruling was limited to local elective positions covered by the Local Government Code and did not resolve the application of the second placer rule or succession rules to national elective positions.#