ACT-CIS reclaims House seat

The ACT-CIS party-list has reclaimed its seat in the House of Representatives after the Commission on Elections (Comelec), sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), formally proclaimed Jeffrey Soriano as its new representative on Wednesday.

Soriano replaces former Rep. Edvic Yap, who stepped down after being implicated in the flood control scandal. The former received his certificate of proclamation at the Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila.

Yap resigned after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla alleged that he and Bulacan 6th District Representative Salvador Pleyto received money through bank transfer from contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, key figures in the multi-billion peso flood control corruption scandal.

Soriano will serve until June 30, 2028.

The ACT-CIS party-list secured two seats in the 20th Congress, obtaining 1,239,930 votes in the May midterm elections. Before Soriano, the party-list group was represented by Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo, its second nominee.

Under Section 16 of the Party-List System Act, a vacancy in seats reserved for party-list representatives “shall be automatically filled by the next representative from the list of nominees in the order submitted to the COMELEC by the same party, organization, or coalition, who shall serve for the unexpired term." 

If the list is exhausted, the party, organization, or coalition concerned shall submit additional nominees, according to Republic Act 7941.

The list of ACT-CIS nominees submitted to Comelec named Yap as the first nominee and Soriano as the third nominee.—MCG, GMA Integrated News