SC declares Samar solon natural-born Filipino

 

In an en banc resolution dated March 3 but released to the media Tuesday, the high court denied Wilfredo Estorninos' petition contesting a House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) ruling in favor of Tan.

 

“After a careful examination of the records, the court resolves to dismiss the petition for failure to show that the HRET committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack, or in excess of jurisdiction, in finding that [the] respondent is a natural born citizen, and therefore, qualified to sit as a member of the House of Representatives,” the high court said.

 

The high court said the HRET "correctly applied [to Tan's case] the doctrine" used in the case "Jose Ong Jr. v. Electoral Tribunal of the House or Representatives" in which Ong Jr. no longer needed to formally declare his choice of Filipino citizenship since his mother was a natural-born citizen anyway and his father was a naturalized citizen.

 

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in 2010 disqualified Tan to run for a seat in the House of Representatives, saying she was not a natural-born citizen.

 

But the HRET later ruled that Tan had the legal qualifications to run as congresswoman of Western Samar's second district.

 

Tan was born in Palompon, Leyte and now lives in Catbalogan City, hometown of her late husband Ric.

 

She had served as Samar governor for three terms. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMA News