The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has canceled the registration of the Duterte Youth party-list.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia clarified, however, that the ruling is not yet final, and the party-list group may still file a motion for reconsideration.

"A vote of 2-1 canceled the registration of the Duterte Youth Party-list," Garcia told reporters on Wednesday.

He also emphasized that the group could still be proclaimed if the Comelec en banc reverses the Second Division’s decision.

“They could still be proclaimed if the en banc reverses the decision of the Division,” he said.

According to Garcia, the division ruling will become final and executory five days after its release, unless a motion for reconsideration is filed.

The decision stemmed from a 2019 case filed by Reeya Beatric Magtalas, Abigail Aleli Tan, Raainah Punzalan, and Aundell Ross Angcos. The petitioners argued that it was “illegal and unconstitutional” for Duterte Youth to be allowed registration without undergoing the proper publication and hearing processes as required under the 1987 Constitution and the Party-list System Act.

In August 2019, Comelec’s First Division also canceled Ronald Cardema’s nomination as Duterte Youth’s party-list representative. The decision, concurred by Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Marlon Casquejo, found that Cardema committed material misrepresentation in his Certificate of Acceptance and Nomination by claiming eligibility despite exceeding the 25–30 age limit set by the Party-list Law.

Despite the controversy, Duterte Youth ranked second among the 155 party-lists in the 2019 midterm polls, garnering more than 2.3 million votes.