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G.R.No.189466and189506

TodayisMonday,September12,2016

RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila
ENBANC
G.R.No.189466February11,2010
DARYLGRACEJ.ABAYON,Petitioner,
vs.
THEHONORABLEHOUSEOFREPRESENTATIVESELECTORALTRIBUNAL,PERFECTOC.LUCABAN,JR.,
RONYLS.DELACRUZandAGUSTINC.DOROGA,Respondents.
xx
G.R.No.189506
CONGRESSMANJOVITOS.PALPARAN,JR.,Petitioner,
vs.
HOUSEOFREPRESENTATIVESELECTORALTRIBUNAL(HRET),DR.REYNALDOLESACA,JR.,CRISTINA
PALABAY,RENATOM.REYES,JR.,ERLINDACADAPAN,ANTONIOFLORESandJOSELITOUSTAREZ,
Respondents.
DECISION
ABAD,J.:
ThesetwocasesareabouttheauthorityoftheHouseofRepresentativesElectoralTribunal(HRET)topassupon
theeligibilitiesofthenomineesofthepartylistgroupsthatwonseatsinthelowerhouseofCongress.
TheFactsandtheCase
InG.R.189466,petitionerDarylGraceJ.AbayonisthefirstnomineeoftheAangatTayopartylistorganization
thatwonaseatintheHouseofRepresentativesduringthe2007elections.
RespondentsPerfectoC.Lucaban,Jr.,RonylS.DelaCruz,andAgustinC.Doroga,allregisteredvoters,fileda
petition for quo warranto with respondent HRET against Aangat Tayo and its nominee, petitioner Abayon, in
HRET Case 07041. They claimed that Aangat Tayo was not eligible for a partylist seat in the House of
Representatives,sinceitdidnotrepresentthemarginalizedandunderrepresentedsectors.
RespondentLucabanandtheotherswithhimfurtherpointedoutthatpetitionerAbayonherselfwasnotqualified
to sit in the House as a partylist nominee since she did not belong to the marginalized and underrepresented
sectors, she being the wife of an incumbent congressional district representative. She moreover lost her bid as
partylist representative of the partylist organization called An Waray in the immediately preceding elections of
May10,2004.
PetitionerAbayoncounteredthattheCommissiononElections(COMELEC)hadalreadyconfirmedthestatusof
Aangat Tayo as a national multisectoral partylist organization representing the workers, women, youth, urban
poor, and elderly and that she belonged to the women sector. Abayon also claimed that although she was the
second nominee of An Waray partylist organization during the 2004 elections, she could not be regarded as
havinglostabidforanelectiveoffice.
Finally,petitionerAbayonpointedoutthatrespondentHREThadnojurisdictionoverthepetitionforquowarranto
sincerespondentLucabanandtheotherswithhimcollaterallyattackedtheregistrationofAangatTayoasaparty
listorganization,amatterthatfellwithinthejurisdictionoftheCOMELEC.ItwasAangatTayothatwastakinga
seat in the House of Representatives, and not Abayon who was just its nominee. All questions involving her
eligibilityasfirstnominee,saidAbayon,wereinternalconcernsofAangatTayo.

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OnJuly16,2009respondentHRETissuedanorder,dismissingthepetitionasagainstAangatTayobutupholding
its jurisdiction over the qualifications of petitioner Abayon.1 The latter moved for reconsideration but the HRET
deniedthesameonSeptember17,2009,2promptingAbayontofilethepresentpetitionforspecialcivilactionof
certiorari.
InG.R.189506,petitionerJovitoS.Palparan,Jr.isthefirstnomineeoftheBantaypartylistgroupthatwonaseat
in the 2007 elections for the members of the House of Representatives. Respondents Reynaldo Lesaca, Jr.,
Cristina Palabay, Renato M. Reyes, Jr., Erlinda Cadapan, Antonio Flores, and Joselito Ustarez are members of
someotherpartylistgroups.
Shortlyaftertheelections,respondentLesacaandtheotherswithhimfiledwithrespondentHRETapetitionfor
quowarrantoagainstBantayanditsnominee,petitionerPalparan,inHRETCase07040.Lesacaandtheothers
allegedthatPalparanwasineligibletositintheHouseofRepresentativesaspartylistnomineebecausehedid
not belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors that Bantay represented, namely, the victims of
communist rebels, Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs), former rebels, and security guards.
Lesaca and the others said that Palparan committed gross human rights violations against marginalized and
underrepresentedsectorsandorganizations.
PetitionerPalparancounteredthattheHREThadnojurisdictionoverhispersonsinceitwasactuallythepartylist
Bantay,nothe,thatwaselectedtoandassumedmembershipintheHouseofRepresentatives.Palparanclaimed
that he was just Bantays nominee. Consequently, any question involving his eligibility as first nominee was an
internal concern of Bantay. Such question must be brought, he said, before that partylist group, not before the
HRET.
OnJuly23,2009respondentHRETissuedanorderdismissingthepetitionagainstBantayforthereasonthatthe
issueoftheineligibilityorqualificationofthepartylistgroupfellwithinthejurisdictionoftheCOMELECpursuant
tothePartyListSystemAct.HRET,however,defendeditsjurisdictionoverthequestionofpetitionerPalparans
qualifications.3PalparanmovedforreconsiderationbuttheHRETdenieditbyaresolutiondatedSeptember10,
2009,4hence,therecoursetothisCourtthroughthispetitionforspecialcivilactionofcertiorariandprohibition.
Sincethetwocasesraiseacommonissue,theCourthascausedtheirconsolidation.
TheIssuePresented
Thecommonissuepresentedinthesetwocasesis:
Whether or not respondent HRET has jurisdiction over the question of qualifications of petitioners Abayon and
PalparanasnomineesofAangatTayoandBantaypartylistorganizations,respectively,whotooktheseatsatthe
HouseofRepresentativesthatsuchorganizationswoninthe2007elections.
TheCourtsRuling
Petitioners Abayon and Palparan have a common theory: Republic Act (R.A.) 7941, the PartyList System Act,
vestsintheCOMELECtheauthoritytodeterminewhichpartiesororganizationshavethequalificationstoseek
partylistseatsintheHouseofRepresentativesduringtheelections.Indeed,theHRETdismissedthepetitionsfor
quowarrantofiledwithitinsofarastheysoughtthedisqualificationsofAangatTayoandBantay.Sincepetitioners
AbayonandPalparanwerenotelectedintoofficebutwerechosenbytheirrespectiveorganizationsundertheir
internalrules,theHREThasnojurisdictiontoinquireintoandadjudicatetheirqualificationsasnominees.
Ifatall,sayspetitionerAbayon,suchauthoritybelongstotheCOMELECwhichalreadyupheldherqualificationas
nominee of Aangat Tayo for the women sector. For Palparan, Bantays personality is so inseparable and
intertwinedwithhisownpersonasitsnomineesothattheHRETcannotdismissthequowarrantoactionagainst
Bantaywithoutdismissingtheactionagainsthim.
But,althoughitisthepartylistorganizationthatisvotedforintheelections,itisnottheorganizationthatsitsas
andbecomesamemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives.Section5,ArticleVIoftheConstitution,5identifieswho
the"members"ofthatHouseare:
Sec.5.(1).TheHouseofRepresentativesshallbecomposedofnotmorethantwohundredandfiftymembers,
unless otherwise fixed by law, who shall be elected from legislative districts apportioned among the provinces,
cities,andtheMetropolitanManilaareainaccordancewiththenumberoftheirrespectiveinhabitants,andonthe
basisofauniformandprogressiveratio,andthosewho,asprovidedbylaw,shallbeelectedthroughapartylist
systemofregisterednational,regional,andsectoralpartiesororganizations.(Underscoringsupplied)
Clearly,themembersoftheHouseofRepresentativesareoftwokinds:"membersxxxwhoshallbeelectedfrom
legislativedistricts"and"thosewhoxxxshallbeelectedthroughapartylistsystemofregisterednational,
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regional,andsectoralpartiesororganizations."Thismeansthat,fromtheConstitutionspointofview,itisthe
partylist representatives who are "elected" into office, not their parties or organizations. These representatives
areelected,however,throughthatpeculiarpartylistsystemthattheConstitutionauthorizedandthatCongress
by law established where the voters cast their votes for the organizations or parties to which such partylist
representativesbelong.
Onceelected,boththedistrictrepresentativesandthepartylistrepresentativesaretreatedinlikemanner.They
havethesamedeliberativerights,salaries,andemoluments.Theycanparticipateinthemakingoflawsthatwill
directlybenefittheirlegislativedistrictsorsectors.Theyarealsosubjecttothesametermlimitationofthreeyears
foramaximumofthreeconsecutiveterms.
ItmaynotbeamisstopointoutthatthePartyListSystemActitselfrecognizespartylistnomineesas"members
oftheHouseofRepresentatives,"thus:
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. The State shall promote proportional representation in the election of
representativestotheHouseofRepresentativesthroughapartylistsystemofregisterednational,regionaland
sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof, which will enable Filipino citizens belonging to the
marginalized and underrepresented sectors, organizations and parties, and who lack welldefined political
constituencies but who could contribute to the formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will
benefitthenationasawhole,tobecomemembersoftheHouseofRepresentatives.Towardsthisend,theState
shall develop and guarantee a full, free and open party system in order to attain the broadest possible
representationofparty,sectoralorgroupinterestsintheHouseofRepresentativesbyenhancingtheirchancesto
compete for and win seats in the legislature, and shall provide the simplest scheme possible. (Underscoring
supplied)
As this Court also held in Bantay Republic Act or BARA 7941 v. Commission on Elections,6 a partylist
representativeisineverysense"anelectedmemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives."Althoughthevotecastin
a partylist election is a vote for a party, such vote, in the end, would be a vote for its nominees, who, in
appropriatecases,wouldeventuallysitintheHouseofRepresentatives.
BoththeConstitutionandthePartyListSystemActsetthequalificationsandgroundsfordisqualificationofparty
listnominees.Section9ofR.A.7941,echoingtheConstitution,states:
Sec.9.QualificationofPartyListNominees.Nopersonshallbenominatedaspartylistrepresentative
unlessheisanaturalborncitizenofthePhilippines,aregisteredvoter,aresidentofthePhilippinesfor
a period of not less than one (1) year immediately preceding the day of the election, able to read and
write,bonafidememberofthepartyororganizationwhichheseekstorepresentforatleastninety(90)
days preceding the day of the election, and is at least twentyfive (25) years of age on the day of the
election.
1 a v v p h i1

In case of a nominee of the youth sector, he must at least be twentyfive (25) but not more than thirty
(30) years of age on the day of the election. Any youth sectoral representative who attains the age of
thirty(30)duringhistermshallbeallowedtocontinueuntiltheexpirationofhisterm.
InthecasesbeforetheCourt,thosewhochallengedthequalificationsofpetitionersAbayonandPalparanclaim
thatthetwodonotbelongtothemarginalizedandunderrepresentedsectorsthattheyoughttorepresent.The
PartyListSystemActprovidesthatanomineemustbea"bonafidememberofthepartyororganizationwhichhe
seekstorepresent."7
ItisfortheHRETtointerpretthemeaningofthisparticularqualificationofanomineetheneedforhimorherto
be a bona fide member or a representative of his partylist organizationin the context of the facts that
characterize petitioners Abayon and Palparans relation to Aangat Tayo and Bantay, respectively, and the
marginalizedandunderrepresentedintereststhattheypresumablyembody.
PetitionersAbayonandPalparanofcoursepointoutthattheauthoritytodeterminethequalificationsofaparty
listnomineebelongstothepartyororganizationthatnominatedhim.Thisistrue,initially.Therighttoexamine
thefitnessofaspiringnomineesand,eventually,tochoosefivefromamongthemafterallbelongstothepartyor
organization that nominates them.8 But where an allegation is made that the party or organization had chosen
and allowed a disqualified nominee to become its partylist representative in the lower House and enjoy the
securedtenurethatgoeswiththeposition,theresolutionofthedisputeistakenoutofitshand.
Parenthetically, although the PartyList System Act does not so state, the COMELEC seems to believe, when it
resolved the challenge to petitioner Abayon, that it has the power to do so as an incident of its authority to
approve the registration of partylist organizations. But the Court need not resolve this question since it is not
raisedhereandhasnotbeenarguedbytheparties.

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WhatisinevitableisthatSection17,ArticleVIoftheConstitution9providesthattheHRETshallbethesolejudge
ofallcontestsrelatingto,amongotherthings,thequalificationsofthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentatives.
Since,aspointedoutabove,partylistnomineesare"electedmembers"oftheHouseofRepresentativesnoless
than the district representatives are, the HRET has jurisdiction to hear and pass upon their qualifications. By
analogy with the cases of district representatives, once the party or organization of the partylist nominee has
been proclaimed and the nominee has taken his oath and assumed office as member of the House of
Representatives, the COMELECs jurisdiction over election contests relating to his qualifications ends and the
HRETsownjurisdictionbegins.10
TheCourtholdsthatrespondentHRETdidnotgravelyabuseitsdiscretionwhenitdismissedthepetitionsforquo
warranto against Aangat Tayo partylist and Bantay partylist but upheld its jurisdiction over the question of the
qualificationsofpetitionersAbayonandPalparan.
WHEREFORE,theCourtDISMISSEStheconsolidatedpetitionsandAFFIRMStheOrderdatedJuly16,2009and
Resolution 09183 dated September 17, 2009 in HRET Case 07041 of the House of Representatives Electoral
Tribunal as well as its Order dated July 23, 2009 and Resolution 09178 dated September 10, 2009 in HRET
Case07040.
SOORDERED.
ROBERTOA.ABAD
AssociateJustice
WECONCUR:
REYNATOS.PUNO
ChiefJustice
ANTONIOT.CARPIO
AssociateJustice

RENATOC.CORONA
AssociateJustice

CONCHITACARPIOMORALES
AssociateJustice

PRESBITEROJ.VELASCO,JR.
AssociateJustice

ANTONIOEDUARDOB.NACHURA
AssociateJustice

TERESITAJ.LEONARDODECASTRO
AssociateJustice

ARTUROD.BRION
AssociateJustice

DIOSDADOM.PERALTA
AssociateJustice

LUCASP.BERSAMIN
AssociateJustice

MARIANOC.DELCASTILLO
AssociateJustice

MARTINS.VILLARAMA,JR.
AssociateJustice

JOSEP.PEREZ
AssociateJustice
JOSEC.MENDOZA
AssociateJustice
CERTIFICATION

Pursuant to Section 13, Article VIII of the Constitution, it is hereby certified that the conclusions in the above
DecisionhadbeenreachedinconsultationbeforethecasewasassignedtothewriteroftheopinionoftheCourt.
REYNATOS.PUNO
ChiefJustice

Footnotes
1Rollo(G.R.No.189466),pp.147148.

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2Id.at2526,Resolution09183.
3Rollo(G.R.No.189506),pp.5354.
4Id.at8384.
5 Section 17. The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each have an Electoral Tribunal which

shallbethesolejudgeofallcontestsrelatingtotheelection,returns,andqualificationsoftheirrespective
Members.EachElectoralTribunalshallbecomposedofnineMembers,threeofwhomshallbeJusticesof
theSupremeCourttobedesignatedbytheChiefJustice,andtheremainingsixshallbeMembersofthe
Senate or the House of Representatives, as the case may be, who shall be chosen on the basis of
proportionalrepresentationfromthepoliticalpartiesandthepartiesororganizationsregisteredunderthe
partylistsystemrepresentedtherein.TheseniorJusticeintheElectoralTribunalshallbeitsChairman.
6G.R.No.177271,May4,2007,523SCRA1,1617.
7RepublicAct7941,Section9.
8RepublicAct7941,Section13.
9 Section 17. The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each have an Electoral Tribunal which

shallbethesolejudgeofallcontestsrelatingtotheelection,returns,andqualificationsoftheirrespective
Members.EachElectoralTribunalshallbecomposedofnineMembers,threeofwhomshallbeJusticesof
theSupremeCourttobedesignatedbytheChiefJustice,andtheremainingsixshallbeMembersofthe
Senate or the House of Representatives, as the case may be, who shall be chosen on the basis of
proportionalrepresentationfromthepoliticalpartiesandthepartiesororganizationsregisteredunderthe
partylistsystemrepresentedtherein.TheseniorJusticeintheElectoralTribunalshallbeitsChairman.
10Seeresv.CommissiononElections,G.R.No.178678,April16,2009.
TheLawphilProjectArellanoLawFoundation

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