Duterte Youth registration cancellation final, says Comelec

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finalized the cancellation of the partylist registration for the Duterte Youth Partylist following a ruling that the organization’s accreditation was void from the start.

The Comelec issued a Certificate of Finality and Entry of Judgment for its 29 August 2025, En Banc order, which denied the party-list’s motion for reconsideration. The decision affirms the earlier resolution of the Comelec Second Division.

In a statement, the poll body disclosed that the Duterte Youth failed to comply with “jurisdictional” publication and hearing requirements for its registration.

The En Banc resolution also cited several other grounds for cancellation one of which was the group made untruthful statements in its petition, specifically concerning the eligibility of its nominees.

It was also found to have no bona fide intention to represent the youth sector and was deemed to have advocated violence or unlawful means to achieve its goal.

Furthermore, the Comelec found the group operated as an adjunct of or an entity funded or assisted by the National Youth Commission, violated or failed to comply with election laws, and filed the petition to “put the election process in mockery or disrepute.”

In addition, the Comelec criticized the partylist’s actions during the 2019 National and Local Elections, stating that the “withdrawal and substitution en masse” and the “back-and-forth switching” of nominees undermined the spirit and intent of the partylist system.

With the issuance of the Certificate of Finality, the order canceling Duterte Youth’s partylist registration is now immediately executory. The ruling stems from the case filed by Reeya Beatrice Magtalas and others against the partylist.