The Supreme Court (SC) announced on Wednesday that it has ruled in favor of a petition filed by the Duterte Youth Partylist that challenged the substitution of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Ma. Rowena Guanzon as the P3PWD Partylist nominee.
In an en banc decision dated 20 August 2024, the SC nullified Comelec Resolution 22-0774, declaring that it was issued with grave abuse of discretion for approving the substitution of P3PWD Partylist nominees.
With this, the SC’s temporary restraining order dated 29 June 2022, has been made permanent.
The SC also said that aside from Guanzon, also nullified the nominations of Rosalie Garcia, Cherie Belmonte-Lim, Donnabel Tenorio and Rodolfo Villar.
“Respondent P3PWD Partylist is directed to submit additional nominees pursuant to Section 16 of Republic Act No. 7941 but is strictly enjoined from renominating for the duration of the Nineteenth Congress the nominees whose substitutions were declared null and void by this Decision, namely Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon, Rosalie J. Garcia, Cherrie B. Belmonte-Lim, Donnabel C. Tenorio, and Rodolfo B. Villar Jr.,” said the ruling penned by Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario.
It also disclosed a pattern of arbitrariness on the part of the Comelec commissioners when they approved the substitution of P3PWD nominees.
The indirect contempt charges filed by Guanzon and the Duterte Youth Partylist against each other was dismissed by the court for lack of merit.
“The power to punish for contempt serves to preserve the integrity and dignity of the Court and ensure the effectiveness of the administration of justice. However, as declared by Justice Malcolm, this power ‘should be exercised on the preservative and not on the vindictive principle.’ Only occasionally should the Court invoke its inherent power in order to retain that respect without which the administration of justice must falter or fail,” the SC said.
To recall, the Duterte Youth Partylist in 2022 filed a petition questioning Guanzon’s substitution as the P3PWD Party-list nominee.
Petitioners Partylist Representative Marie Cardema and chairperson Ronald Cardema argued that the Comelec resolution approving the substitution was issued with grave abuse of discretion.