Taguig Court orders Lino Cayetano’s removal from voters’ list

ANOTHER RUN Lino Cayetano files his certificate of candidacy for congressman of the Taguig-Pateros district in this photo taken on Oct. 3, 2024. —LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) has ordered the city’s Elections Registration Board (ERB) to remove former Mayor Lino Cayetano from the list of registered voters of a barangay in the Taguig-Pateros district where he is seeking a congressional seat.

The 14-page decision, penned by Taguig RTC Branch 153 Presiding Judge Mariam Bien, ordered the ERB to delist Cayetano as well as his wife, Fille Cainglet, from the official list of voters in Precinct No. 0926A of Barangay Ususan because they failed to fulfill the residency requirement. Ususan is one of the barangays in the Taguig district where Cayetano is running for congressman.

Cayetano, in response, said they will continue to seek legal remedies.

“We will exercise our right to appeal this decision, with full confidence that the truth will come out and justice will be served,” Cayetano said.

‘Final and executory’

He also clarified in a video uploaded on his Facebook page that this case is separate from the disqualification case against him that is still pending before the Commission on Elections.

READ: Comelec: Lino Cayetano’s name on ballot since residency case not final

The RTC said the ruling on the Cayetanos’ request for transfer was “final and executory” and “no motion for reconsideration shall be entertained.” It overturned the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court’s ruling in February favoring Cayetano.

In October last year, the ERB denied the Cayetanos’ application to transfer their registration records from Barangay Fort Bonifacio.

READ: Comelec rejects residency transfer bid of ex-Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano

The court said Cayetano filed his petition too late.

“In this case, the petition for inclusion was filed by the petitioners-appellees before the Metropolitan Trial Court on January 27, 2025, which is the 105th day before the regular election on May 12, 2025,” it ruled.

It further noted that Cayetano failed to prove he had been a resident of Usuan for at least six months before the May 12 elections.

One-year residency

Under election rules, individuals must have lived in a place for at least six months before transferring their voter registration to that location.

Those running as district representatives must also have been registered voters and residents of the district for at least one year before the election.

“Assuming arguendo that the petitioners-appellees have been residing in Pacific Residence in [Barangay] Ususan in 2022, however, when the petitioners-appellees decided to lease a unit in Essensa Condominium and decided to vote during the [Sangunian Kabataan] election in 2023 in [Barangay] Fort Bonifacio, it shows that the petitioners-appellees no longer identified themselves as constituents and residents of [Barangay] Ususan,” the court said.

“Therefore, it is right to assume that the petitioners-appellees merely resided again in Pacific Residence in December 2024 as evidenced by the new Contract of Sub-Lease, which is not at least six months immediately preceding the election of May 12, 2025,” it added.