By:Antonio Hernandez 

The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a status quo ante order (SQAO) on the ongoing dispute within the Magsasaka party-list organization on who will have a seat in the House of Representatives. 

In a resolution, the SC en banc said the SQAO is "effective immediately and continuing until further orders from this Court." 

The order maintains the status quo before the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) issued a resolution dated September 14, 2022, confirming the proclamation of Roberto Gerard Nazal Jr. as representative of the Magsasaka partylist and the issuance of a certificate of proclamation in favor of Nazal. 

Nazal said he is the third group candidate who managed to snag a single seat in the partylist race in the May 9, 2022, elections. 

But he said the second and third nominees resigned, resulting in his taking the seat. 

Last week, Nazal said he had already sworn as a partylist congressman before a Quezon City regional trial court judge. 

This after he claimed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had issued him a proclamation certificate. 

But the group, through its secretary general, Atty. General Du has filed a petition against the move, naming Comelec and Soliman Villamin Jr., the group's national chairman, as respondents. 

The group said Nazal did not represent them and ran for the partylist race under a different organization.