Election protest versus Gatchalian scion filed

A resident of Valenzuela City has filed an election protest against first district Representative Sherwin Gatchalian, with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.

Alfredo Rueda, a registered voter in the first district, through his counsel Rizalina Lumbera, petitioned for a quo warranto, questioning Gatchalian’s eligibility to be a member of the House of Representatives. The petition was filed with the electoral tribunal last May 29, nine days after the city’s Board of Canvassers proclaimed Gatchalian.

Rueda sought Gatchalian’s disqualification as he questioned the latter’s citizenship and accused him of massive overspending, massive illegal campaign propaganda, and massive illegal construction.

In his petition, Rueda said that Gatchalian, 27, is not a natural-born Filipino as his parents, industrialist William Gatchalian and Ting Dee Hua, had been admitted in the country "without any documentary evidence to show that either is a Filipino citizen."

The citizenship of the elder Gatchalian has been reversed then upheld several times. The Supreme Court declared William a Filipino citizen in 1991.

Rueda claimed that even if the high court’s decision can retroact, "it cannot convert respondent into a natural-born citizen, but only into a Filipino citizen." The congressman was born in April 1974.

Sectino 6, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution states that "no person shall be a member of the House of Representatives unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines."

But Gatchalian shrugged off the petition, saying, "it would go nowhere and that this is plain harassment by my political opponents." he maintains that he is a natural born Filipino.

Rueda also questioned the distribution of money and other campaign materials such as watches bearing the congressman’s face, bracelets, necklaces, cellular phones, and fans by Gatchalian’s camp. Rueda further stated in his complaint that Gatchalian spent for athletic tournaments and public events, distributed food, rice and grocery items.

Under Section 100, BP 881, "a congressional candidate can spend only P3 for every voter currently registered," Rueda said in his petition.

"In this case the respondent spent much more than P306,858 for the 102,286 registered voters in the first district of Valenzuela City," Rueda claimed. – Nikko Dizon