Duterte Youth loses Comelec bid to regain party-list status
Metro Manila, Philippines - A party-list identified with the Dutertes failed to convince the Commission on Elections to reverse the cancellation of its registration and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
In a 10-page decision promulgated Friday, August 29, the Comelec en banc denied the Duterte Youth’s appeal of the second division’s earlier ruling, citing lack of merit. The party-list group won three congressional seats in the May elections.
“It is evident that the motion failed to raise any valid or substantial ground to warrant a reconsideration of the assailed resolution,” the poll body ruled.
Five commissioners voted to deny the motion for reconsideration, including Aimee Ferolino, Ernesto Maceda, Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal, and Noli Pipo. Commissioner Rey Bulay dissented, while Comelec Chairman George Garcia signed the decision but did not participate in the vote.
Alleged violations
In June, the Comelec second division granted a 2019 petition by youth leaders to cancel the registration of the Duterte Youth, officially named “Duty to Energize the Republic through the Enlightenment of the Youth Sectoral Party List Organization.”
The petition cited a number of violations, which the division upheld as valid grounds for canceling the registration. These include:
+ Failure to publish its petition for registration in at least two newspapers of general circulation
+ Failure to appear at a Comelec hearing on its party-list bid
+ Material misrepresentation by then-first nominee Ronald Cardema, who exceeded the age limit to represent the youth, raising doubts about the party-list’s genuine intent to represent the sector
+ Use of the National Youth Commission's resources and personnel to benefit the party-list with Cardema as Assistant Secretary
+ Advocating violence and unlawful actions in social media posts
+ Repeated switching of nominees in 2019, which the division said made a “mockery” in the election process
In its motion for reconsideration, Duterte Youth said the allegations lacked sufficient evidence.
The Comelec en banc disagreed, stating that the division cited enough evidence and thoroughly examined all arguments.
Supreme Court appeal
Duterte Youth has announced plans to file a petition with the Supreme Court on Sept. 1, seeking to declare the Comelec's ruling unconstitutional and a grave abuse of discretion.
“Pinanalo ng todo todo ng Sambayanang Pilipino, pilit na ipinapatalo ng COMELEC. Nasa Korte Supreme ang pag-asa. Tatag lang,” party-list chairman Ronald Cardema said in a statement.
[Translation: The Filipino people gave a resounding vote, but the COMELEC is trying hard to overturn it. Hope now rests with the Supreme Court. Stay strong.]
Duterte Youth secured over 2.3 million votes. Its proclamation was suspended pending resolution of the case.
