G.R. No. 248985 - Piccio vs. House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal

Vergara was born in Manila on November 5, 1963, to Filipino parents.
She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1998 and obtained a U.S. passport.
In November 2006, she filed a petition with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) pursuant to Republic Act No. 9225 (R.A. 9225) to reacquire Filipino citizenship.
She took her Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines on November 26, 2006, and the BI approved her petition and issued IC No. 06-12955 recognizing her reacquisition.
Vergara executed an Affidavit of Renunciation of Foreign Citizenship in September 2015.

Vergara filed a Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) for Representative of Nueva Ecija’s Third District in 2015.
Petitioner Piccio filed multiple suits questioning Vergara’s eligibility based on citizenship, asserting she failed to reacquire Filipino citizenship properly under R.A. 9225.
The BI’s records showed irregularities: original documents for Vergara’s R.A. 9225 petition were missing; only photocopies were on file.
Two former BI Commissioners, Geron and Morente, issued conflicting letters about the existence and processing of Vergara’s citizenship documents.
Multiple government agencies, including COMELEC and the City Prosecutor, dismissed complaints against Vergara regarding citizenship and document tampering.
Piccio filed a quo warranto petition with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) challenging Vergara’s qualifications.

The HRET dismissed the quo warranto petitions for lack of merit, affirming Vergara’s qualification.
Piccio moved for reconsideration, which the HRET denied.
Piccio filed a Petition for Certiorari before the Supreme Court challenging the HRET’s decisions.

Whether the petition is moot and academic given the expiration of Vergara’s term.
Whether the petition suffers from procedural infirmities, including failure to comply with material data rule and failure to attach vital annexes.
Whether the HRET gravely abused its discretion in dismissing the quo warranto petitions and holding Vergara qualified to sit as a Member of the House.
Whether the HRET committed mosaic plagiarism in its decision by copying passages from Vergara’s pleadings without attribution.