Manifesto supporting Yap’s proclamation submitted anew

BAGUIO CITY – A manifesto containing more than 20,000 signatures that supports the proclamation of Benguet Rep. Eric Yap as the duly elected province’s Representative in the upcoming 20th Congress was formally submitted to the central and regional offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recently.

The manifesto of solidarity and support called on the poll body to rightfully proclaim Yap as the duly elected Representative of the Lone District of Benguet to the House of Representatives following his overwhelming victory in the May 12, 2025 mid-term elections where he garnered  144,093 votes, the highest votes garnered by a winning candidate for the said position on the province’s election history.

The manifesto stated that it is the firm belief of the concerned voters from the different parts of the province that the mandate of the people as reflected in the results of the political exercise must be upheld without delay.

Further, it added that the people of Benguet are fully aware of the consequences of prolonged political uncertainty, particularly the denial of vital representation in Congress, which will surely affect the necessary legislation of laws, services and development for their respective communities, especially the remote areas that need the immediate implementation of major infrastructure projects to help in bringing the government closer to the people.

“We trust that the Commission, under your wise and principled leadership, will give this manifesto due attention and consideration, ” the cover letter of the manifesto addressed to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia stated.

According to the manifesto, the people of Benguet have spoken clearly, and it is their earnest hope that their will shall not be diminished by procedural delay or political maneuvering that may affect the province’s representation to the halls of the House once the 20th Congress opens in July.

The manifesto stipulated that may the signatures of the concerned voters contribute to the fair and just resolution of the pending matter in the interest of truth, justice and democracy.

Earlier, the Benguet provincial Board of Canvassers, upon the directive from the Comelec’s Second Division, temporarily suspended the proclamation of Rep. Yap as the province’s duly elected Representative to the House during the May 12, 2025 mid-term elections because of an unresolved petition for disqualification that was previously filed that questioned his citizenship.

Subsequently, six other petitions for disqualification were successively filed against Yap by separate petitioners that raised similar issues on his citizenship and alleged vote buying that had been committed prior to the conduct of the mid-term elections.

However, one of the petitioners in the fifth petition for disqualification where there were some eight signatories voluntarily withdrew his signature from the petition for disqualification.

However, some legal luminaries admitted that this manifesto has no bearing in the promulgation of the decision on the filed petitions for disqualification against the lawmaker but it is just a matter of expression of the sentiment of the signatories of their support to the embattled Congress representative.

Moreover, the signatories are just exercising their right to express their sentiments in support of Congressman Yap, similar to the right of the petitioners in filing the series of complaints against the said congressman.

In January 2020, Yap was appointed as the caretaker Congress representative of Benguet following the untimely demise of the late Rep. and Gov. Nestor Fongwan, Sr. who succumbed to a lingering illness and was given a fresh mandate by the people of Benguet when he emerged victorious for the same position during the May 2022 elections.

Chairman Garcia had been repeatedly making pronouncements that the Commission will try to resolve all pending petitions for disqualification that were filed against numerous candidates during the May 12, 2025 mid-term elections on or before June 30, 2025 or before the new set of duly elected national and local officials will take their oath of office and assume their respective positions for their prescribed 3-year term.

In previous cases where there were vacancies in the position of Representatives of the different legislative districts in the country, the House of Representatives will appoint a caretaker lawmaker who will oversee the affairs of the distinct with no proclaimed representative or the ones that were vacated due to the untimely demise of the duly elected congressman among other reasons of the vacancy and that those that have been appointed are congressmen whose districts are adjacent the ones with vacant lawmakers.

In 2008, former 3-term Kalinga Rep. Manuel S. Agyao served as the caretaker Congress representative of Mountain Province because of the untimely demise of then Rep. Victor S. Dominguez on February 8, 2008 while incumbent 3-term Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang served as the caretaker Congress representative of Mountain Province from June 2017 to June 30, 2019 due to the untimely demise of the late Rep. Maximo Dalog, Sr. who also succumbed to a lingering illness. By Dexter A. See