The House of Representatives Electoral (HRET) has dismissed the election protest filed against Leyte 2nd District Rep. Lolita Karen Javier for lack of clear and convincing evidence.
Javier’s challenger, former congressman Henry Ong, filed the protest for reportedly falsifying her certificate of candidacy (COC) and for “making untruthful statements” in her COC.
Ong filed a petition to disqualify Javier for supposedly abandoning her residence and living in another place, which he alleged is equivalent to relinquishing her residency status.
In the 2019 elections, Javier was proclaimed the winner for having obtained a total of 112,989 votes against the petitioner’s 88,995 votes.
On May 17, 2019, Javier took her oath and pursuant to the 1987 Constitution, assumed the seat as member of the House of Representatives on June 30, 2019.
On July 15, 2019, Ong filed a protest, alleging that Javier is ineligible to become a member of the House of Representatives because she is not a resident of the 2nd district of the province of Leyte.
Javier presented solid and factual evidence to establish her real legal residence status and maintained that the move was politically motivated.
On February 11, 2021, the electoral tribunal dismissed the petition for quo warranto filed by the petitioner for lack of clear and convincing evidence.
In a statement, Javier thanked the HRET for dismissing the election case and affirming her victory in 2019.
“We thank the HRET for settling this matter once and for all,” she added.