Duterte Youth challenges non-proclamation

The Duterte Youth party-list has petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) alleging that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) committed grave abuse of discretion by suspending its proclamation.

The party-list filed the petition Tuesday, days after the Comelec suspended its proclamation despite Duterte Youth placing second among the 54 party-lists elected 12 May.

Duterte Youth’s nominees include incumbent Rep. Drixie Cardema, a military reservist and vice chair of the House Committee on National Defense and Security; and Representatives-elect Berlin Lingwa from the Philippine National Police Academy and Ron Bawalan from the Philippine Military Academy.

The party-list, which garnered more than 2.3 million votes, contends the Comelec’s decision was based on “serious allegations” from a 2019 case filed by the leftist Kabataan party-list.

“If the allegations of Kabataan Party-List were really ‘very serious’ in 2019, why did Comelec allow Duterte Youth Party-List to assume in Congress after the 2019 elections?" said party chairperson Ronald Cardema.

He also alleged that the Comelec failed to dismiss the “fake case" after a 2019 hearing and is now attempting to subvert the voters’ will by delaying the proclamation.

“We answered all those shallow and baseless issues in the Comelec in 2019. We were seated after winning in the 2019 elections, we were seated after winning in the 2022 elections, and now that millions of Filipinos voted for us, on the day of the proclamation, they say it’s being held because of serious allegations from Kabataan Party-List in 2019,” Cardema said.

Kabataan’s allegations included claims that Duterte Youth was not registered with the Comelec, engaged in vote-buying, and promoted violence. Kabataan has been alleged to be a front of the New People’s Army.

Duterte Youth dismissed the registration claim, saying the Comelec would not have allowed an unregistered entity to participate in the elections.

The party-list also denied vote-buying, stating it would dedicate its funds to the people and support the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police in neutralizing NPA groups.

“There are so many vote-buying politicians, so many plunderers, and yet the only candidate who doesn’t buy votes and doesn’t steal funds, the only one pushing for the return of the death penalty for plunderers, heinous criminals, and NPA terrorists, is the one being held, not the corrupt and those connected to terrorists. Those are the real serious cases that should be holding proclamations,” Cardema said.

Cardema warned that if the party-list is not allowed to serve in Congress, he will reveal alleged corruption within the House of Representatives and Comelec involving millions of pesos in decisions, party-list accreditations, and congressional projects and funds.