THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has stated that the Duterte Youth Party-list’s future remains uncertain despite its victory in the recent midterm elections, due to ongoing legal challenges.
Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia announced on May 23rd that while the commission dismissed the disqualification case against the Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list, the proclamation of Duterte Youth remains suspended pending a decision on its own case. Both BH and Duterte Youth won seats in the party-list race but their proclamations are delayed due to separate legal issues.
A petition was filed in September 2019 by a youth leader group seeking to nullify Duterte Youth’s registration, alleging misrepresentation of the youth sector. Duterte Youth Chairman Ronald Cardema, who previously served in Congress before his nomination was cancelled, maintains that their party-list was twice allowed to sit in Congress (during the 18th and 19th Congresses) and therefore sees no reason for the suspension of their proclamation for the upcoming 20th Congress.
Garcia explained that the BH case was resolved quickly due to its technical nature, while the Duterte Youth case is more complex and requires a thorough review of issues related to representation.
