Residents from Taguig City on Monday filed before the Supreme Court (SC) a Motion to Allow Joinder of New Party in the petition seeking to invalidate an ordinance that increased the number of councilor seats in the city from eight to twelve per councilor district.
In October, retired SC justice Dante Tinga filed the said petition which, according to him, is an “unauthorized and illegal increase.”
Other petitioners added were representatives from the Kababaihan ng Taguig Women’s Association, Upper Bicutan Bayanihan Movement, and Tenement Homeowners Association in Western Bicutan.
The petition points out that there will be legal complications if the High Tribunal does not decide immediately and waits until after the elections in May.
The SC should immediately act on the petition to give the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ample time to print the correct ballots and limit the number of councilors in each district to eight, the groups said.
The residents assert that Congress must first pass a law signed by the President before adding councilors to each district.
As such, the Taguig City Ordinance No. 144 should be repealed, according to them.
They believe that the Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 23 was rushed and that the resolution issued by the Comelec recognizing the resolution was “ill-advised.”
Manila Standard sought a copy of the latest Motion filed by the petitioners and will be uploaded to the official website of the SC.