Comelec suspends proclamation of 2 party-list groups

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday suspended the proclamation of two party-list groups in the 2025 midterm elections.

While Comelec Chairperson George Garcia did not name the groups so as not to preempt the proclamation ceremony scheduled for Monday afternoon, he said one of them has won three seats. There are three groups poised to win three seats each: Akbayan, Duterte Youth, and Tingog.

Meanwhile, the other party-list group, which will not be proclaimed, has won one seat, according to Garcia.

"The Commission, the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), suspended their proclamations due to their pending cases," Garcia told reporters.

The Comelec, sitting as the NBOC, is set to proclaim only 52 out of 54 party-list groups who won 63 seats in the 20th Congress.

"We decided to resolve their cases first before having a proclamation because it would be unfair [to the groups] if we proclaim them first and then remove them later on because their registration was canceled," Garcia added.

However, Garcia clarified that the suspension of their proclamation would not nullify their win.

The poll chief noted that the NBOC considered the "serious allegations" raised in the petitions filed against the two party-list groups.

Duterte Youth has a pending case since September 2019. This stemmed from a petition filed by Reeya Beatric Magtalas, Abigail Aleli Tan, Raainah Punzalan, and Aundell Ross Angcos.

They argued then that it is "illegal and unconstitutional" for Duterte Youth to be allowed registration without fulfilling the publication and hearing requirements, as stated in the 1987 Constitution and the Party-list System Act.