ANTONIO Y.

CO, petitioner,
vs.
ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND JOSE ONG, JR., respondents.

199 SCRA 692

July 30, 1991

Facts:

This case arose when the petitioner, Antonio Y, Co filed an election protest on the grounds that Jose
Ong, Jr is not a natural born citizen of the Philippines and not a resident of second district of Northern
Samar.Prior to this, the Electoral Tribunal of the House of Representatives declared that respondent Jose
Ong, Jr. is a natural born Filipino citizen and a resident of Laoang, Northern Samar for voting purposes.
The congressional election for the second district of Northern Samar was held. Among the candidates
who vied for the position of representative in the second legislative district are the petitioners,
Sixto Balinquit and Antonio Co and the private respondent, Jose Ong, Jr. Respondent Ong was
proclaimed the duly elected representative of the second district of Northern Samar.

Issue:

Whether or not Jose Ong, Jr. is a citizen of the Philippines.

Held:

Yes. In the year 1895, the respondents grandfather, Ong Te, arrived in the Philippines from China and
established his residence in the municipality of Laoang, Samar. The father of the respondent, Jose Ong
Chuan was born in China in 1905 but was brought by Ong Te to Samar in the year 1915, he filed with the
court an application for naturalization and was declared a Filipino citizen. In 1984, the private respondent
married a Filipina named Desiree Lim. For the elections of 1984 and1986, Jose Ong, Jr. registered
himself as a voter of Laoang, Samar, and voted there during those elections. Under the 1973
Constitution, those born of Filipino fathers and those born of Filipino mothers with an alien father were
placed on equal footing. They were both considered as natural born citizens. Besides,
respondent did more than merely exercise his right of suffrage. He has established his life here in the
Philippines. On the issue of residence, it is not required that a person should have a house in order to
establish his residence and domicile. It is enough that he should live in the municipality or in a rented
house or in that of friend or relative. To require him to own property in order to be eligible to run for
Congress would be the same as to a property qualification. The Constitution only requires that the
candidate meet the age, citizenship, voting and residence requirements