Duterte Youth partylist registration canceled

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has canceled the registration of the Duterte Youth partylist, although the ruling is not yet final.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia announced Wednesday that the decision was a 2-1 vote to cancel the registration. He clarified that the partylist still has the option to file a motion for reconsideration.

“They could still be proclaimed if the En Banc reverses the decision of the Division,” Garcia told reporters, adding that the division’s decision will become final and executory five days after its release.

The cancellation stems from a 2019 case filed against the group by petitioners Reeya Beatric Magtalas, Abigail Aleli Tan, Raainah Punzalan and Aundell Ross Angcos.

They argued that allowing Duterte Youth’s registration was “illegal and unconstitutional” due to alleged failure to fulfill publication and hearing requirements mandated by the 1987 Constitution and the Partylist System Act.

In August 2019, the Comelec’s first division had already canceled Ronald Cardema’s nomination as the party-list’s representative. That decision, concurred by Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Marlon Casquejo, was based on Cardema’s “material misrepresentation” regarding his eligibility for nomination, as the Partylist Law sets an age requirement of 25 to 30 years old for youth sector representatives.

Duterte Youth ranked second among the 155 partylists in the recent midterm elections, securing more than 2.3 million votes.