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Lina Dela Peña Jalover, et al. Vs. John Henry R. Osmeña, et al.

LINA DELA PENA JALOVER, GEORGIE A. HUISO and VELVET BARQUIN ZAMORA, Petitioners, vs. JOHN HENRY R. OSMENA and COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS (COMELEC) , Respondents.

G.R. No. 209286 | 2014-09-23

EN BANC
 
 
DECISION

BRION, J.:
 
The minimum requirement under our Constitution 1 and election laws2 for the candidates' residency in the political unit they seek to represent has never been intended to be an empty formalistic condition; it carries with it a very specific purpose: to prevent “stranger[s] or newcomer[s] unacquainted with the conditions and needs of a community” from seeking elective offices in that community.3

The requirement is rooted in the recognition that officials of districts or localities should not only be acquainted with the metes and bounds of their...