Title
Abayon vs. House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal
Case
G.R. No. 189466
Decision Date
Feb 11, 2010
HRET has jurisdiction over party-list nominees' qualifications once they assume House seats; SC upheld HRET rulings in Abayon and Palparan cases.

Case Digest (G.R. No. 189466)
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model

Facts:

  • G.R. No. 189466: Abayon v. HRET
    • Petitioner Daryl Grace J. Abayon was proclaimed first nominee of Aangat Tayo party-list, which won one seat in the 2007 House of Representatives elections.
    • Respondents Lucaban, De la Cruz, and Doroga filed a petition for quo warranto with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) in HRET Case 07-041, alleging:
      • Aangat Tayo did not represent marginalized or underrepresented sectors;
      • Abayon was ineligible as nominee (she did not belong to such sectors, was married to an incumbent district representative, and had lost a party-list bid in 2004).
    • Abayon argued that:
      • The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) had already validated Aangat Tayo and her membership;
      • HRET lacked jurisdiction over party-list registrations and internal nominee qualifications.
    • On July 16, 2009, HRET dismissed the petition against Aangat Tayo but retained jurisdiction over Abayon’s qualifications; its denial of reconsideration (September 17, 2009) prompted this certiorari petition.
  • G.R. No. 189506: Palparan v. HRET
    • Petitioner Jovito S. Palparan, Jr. was proclaimed first nominee of Bantay party-list, which likewise won one seat in the 2007 elections.
    • Respondents Lesaca, Palabay, Reyes, Cadapan, Flores, and Ustarez filed a quo warranto petition in HRET Case 07-040, contending that Palparan was ineligible because he did not belong to the sectors (victims of communist rebels, CAFGUs, former rebels, security guards) and had committed gross human rights violations.
    • Palparan maintained that HRET had no jurisdiction over his qualifications, as he was merely a party-list nominee and any challenge to his status was an internal party matter.
    • On July 23, 2009, HRET dismissed the petition against Bantay but upheld jurisdiction over Palparan’s qualifications; its denial of reconsideration (September 10, 2009) led to a petition for certiorari and prohibition.
  • Consolidation and procedural posture
    • The Supreme Court consolidated the two petitions due to the common question of HRET’s jurisdiction over party-list nominees.

Issues:

  • Does the HRET have jurisdiction to adjudicate the qualifications of party-list nominees who have been proclaimed, taken their oaths, and assumed office as members of the House of Representatives?

Ruling:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Ratio:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Doctrine:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

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