Marinduque lawmaker demands proclamation

MANILA, Philippines - Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco said yesterday he should be the one who should be proclaimed winner in the hotly contested congressional race in his province.

In a statement, Velasco, son of Supreme Court Justice Presbitero Velasco, said his opponent, Regina Reyes, was “never a candidate” since the fi rst division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had disqualified her for allegedly being an American citizen.

He claimed that the entire Comelec, to which Reyes appealed her disqualifi cation, has upheld the decision of its fi rst division. Thus, Velasco said he should be proclaimed winner, being the “sole qualifi ed candidate.”

He disputed the statement of Reyes’ brother Edmund, who heads the Toll Regulatory Board, that his sister has been proclaimed with a 5,000-vote lead over Velasco. He said there has been no “offi cial proclamation” yet.

The STAR asked Edmund Reyes for a copy of his sister’s certifi cate of proclamation yesterday, but as of press time, the document has not been emailed. Edmund is a former congressman.

In the Comelec website, Regina Reyes was ahead of her congressman-opponent by fewer than 3,000 votes. She received 41,072 votes against Velasco’s 38,111.

Regina is the wife of Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas. The mother of Regina, Carmencita, is governor of Marinduque.

In a privilege speech before Congress adjourned for the election campaign in February, Mandanas said his wife is a dual citizen – a Filipino and an American.

However, he said Reyes gave up her American citizenship before she fi led her certificate of candidacy, as the law on dual citizenship requires.

He said his wife, being a lawyer, knows the requirements of the law.