Taguig Court Orders to Remove Lino Cayetano from Voters’ List
LINO CAYETANO – The Taguig Court has issued an order to remove Lino Cayetano from the voters’ list.
The Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) has issued a ruling ordering the city’s Elections Registration Board (ERB) to delist former Mayor Lino Cayetano from the list of registered voters in Barangay Ususan, where he is vying for a congressional seat. The court’s decision also affects his wife, Fille Cainglet, both of whom were found to have not met the residency requirements for voter registration in the said barangay.
The 14-page ruling, penned by Presiding Judge Mariam Bien of Taguig RTC Branch 153, declared that Cayetano and his wife failed to satisfy the six-month residency requirement prior to the May 12, 2025 elections. Consequently, the ERB was directed to remove their names from the voters’ list in Precinct No. 0926A of Barangay Ususan.
Cayetano to Appeal the Decision
In response to the court’s decision, Cayetano expressed his intent to appeal. “We will exercise our right to appeal this decision, with full confidence that the truth will come out and justice will be served,” he said in a statement.
Cayetano also clarified in a video posted on his Facebook page that this case is distinct from the disqualification case against him that remains pending before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Final and Executory Ruling
The RTC stated that the decision regarding the Cayetanos’ request for transfer of voter registration is “final and executory,” meaning no motion for reconsideration will be entertained. This ruling effectively overturned a previous decision by the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court in February, which had initially ruled in Cayetano’s favor.
The ERB had previously denied Cayetano’s application to transfer his voter registration records from Barangay Fort Bonifacio in October last year. The RTC upheld this denial, emphasizing that Cayetano had filed his petition too late—only 105 days before the election—when election laws require such changes to be completed at least six months prior.
Residency Issues
Under election laws, candidates for congressional seats must have been residents of their district for at least one year before the election. The court noted that while Cayetano claimed residency in Barangay Ususan in 2022, his decision to lease a unit in Essensa Condominium and vote in Barangay Fort Bonifacio during the 2023 Sangguniang Kabataan elections contradicted this claim.
According to the report, the court concluded that Cayetano and his wife had only returned to Barangay Ususan in December 2024, as evidenced by their new lease contract, which does not meet the six-month residency requirement.
This decision marks a significant development in Cayetano’s congressional bid, with legal battles still ongoing as he seeks to secure his candidacy.
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