Zamboanga del Norte’s political leadership is in a limbo, prompting thousands of supporters of unseated congressman Romeo Jalosjos Jr. to rally for his reinstatement.
Jalosjos’ name was removed from the official roster of the House of Representatives by virtue of an electoral protest now pending before the Supreme Court. (SC). His removal came barely a month after he was proclaimed winner in the congressional race for the first district of the province.
Surigao Rep. Ace Barbers, on behalf of the Nacionalista Party, sought a clarification on the status of Jalosjos.
Barbers said House rules provide that if a candidate has been proclaimed winner by the Comelec and the proclamation’s validity was questioned in a judicial or administrative body, the candidate who was proclaimed winner and assumed office on June 30 following the election should remain a House member in the absence of a final and executory judgment on or resolution of the issue by the appropriate judicial or administrative bodies.
House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin moved that the House secretary general refer the matter to the chamber’s legal affairs office “for further study and assessment.
One of the supporters of Jalosjos, Buddy Cagbabauan, chief information officer of Zamboanga del Norte, said a prayer and unity rally attended by more than 10,000 supporters of the congressman was held in Dapitan City calling for Jalosjos’ reinstatement so he could perform his congressional duties.
“They were calling for Junjun’s (Jalosjos) reinstatement so he could help in providing immediate assistance and other reliefs to the victims of landslides and flash floods in his district brought about by heavy rains that struck Mindanao and the Visayas on Christmas Day,” added Cagbabauan said in a radio interview.
“That’s the problem now. There is no congressman who will directly attend to the needs of the people in the eight municipalities of the first district of the province,” he further said. “They needed financial assistance, medical assistance.”
According to Cagbabauan, a caretaker has been assigned in Zamboanga del Norte, but the officer-in-charge was not hands on and was seldom seen in the province, thus the clamor and prayer to reinstate Jalosjos.
Records showed that the Comelec on May 12, 2022 issued an order stopping the proclamation of Roberto Uy who beat Jalosjos in the canvassing.
Uy garnered 69,591 votes, while Jalosjos came in second with 69,109 votes.
The Comelec however, credited to Jalosjos Jr, the 5,424 votes mustered by a third candidate, Federico Jalosjos, who was declared as “nuisance candidate.” Federico Jalosjos. On June 23, Jalosjos Jr. was proclaimed the winner.
But nearly a month after being proclaimed, the SC granted Uy’s plea to allow him to stay on the list of congressional race during the May 10m 2022 local polls.
The High Tribunal issued a status quo ante order prior to the Comelec’s May 10 and June 7 orders, which prevented Jalosjos Jr, from sitting as congressman.