Former House Deputy Secretary General Brian Raymund S. Yamsuan was sworn into office on Wednesday as the new representative of the Bicol Saro Party-list in Congress.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez administered the oath of office to Yamsuan during the plenary session, completing the process of the latter’s assumption as a member of the House in the 19th Congress.
In a statement issued by Bicol Saro, Yamsuan will serve the unexpired term of Nicolas Enciso VIII, who was expelled from Bicol Saro last February 6, and removed as representative of the Party-list in the House.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec), convening as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), officially proclaimed Yamsuan on Feb. 17 as the new number one nominee of Bicol Saro.
Yamsuan’s proclamation entitles him “to sit as representative to the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines, and to serve for a term of three [3] years, ending June 30, 2025, in accordance with Section 7, Article VI of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines,” the NBOC said.
In Comelec Minute Resolution 23-0112, the poll body recognized Yamsuan as the new number one nominee of Bicol Saro. It also gave due course to the statement of Lara Maria Villafuerte, Jocelyn Faustino Fortuno, Arron James Pagaduan and Mac Arthur Cuison Samson Jr. as the other nominees of the party list.
The Comelec, in deciding to approve Yamsuan’s proclamation, cited Section 16 of Republic Act 7941 and its own rules, which states: “In case of vacancy in the seats reserved for party-list representatives, the vacancy shall be automatically filled by the next representative from the list of nominees in the order submitted to the COMELEC by the same party, organization, or coalition, who shall serve for the unexpired term. If the list is exhausted, the party, organization coalition concerned shall submit additional nominees.”
The Comelec also cited the letter sent by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco on Feb. 15, which stated Enciso’s expulsion and the vacancy in the House seat for Bicol Saro.
Yamsuan previously served as Deputy Secretary General of the House under then Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano in the 18th Congress.
Yamsuan is also the Secretary General of the National Unity Party (NUP), one of the country’s major political organizations.