The Duterte Youth Party-List announced Wednesday it will file a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision to disqualify the group from sitting in Congress despite securing over 2.3 million votes in the 2025 midterm polls.
The petition will be filed at 3:30 p.m. today, 3 September.
“Dati pera lang ang kinukurakot, ngayon pati milyon-milyong sagradong boto ng mga Pilipino kinukuha na rin. Ang talo pinapanalo, ang panalong-panalo, pilit na ipinapatalo ng COMELEC,” the party-list said in a statement.
According to the group, the Comelec disregarded their electoral victory despite winning the majority of votes in local absentee voting (LAV) among police, military, and government personnel, as well as in overseas absentee voting in multiple countries.
They listed first-place finishes in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, and over 50 other nations where Filipinos cast votes abroad.
The Duterte Youth also expressed gratitude to Commissioner Rey Bulay of the Comelec Second Division, who issued a dissenting opinion on the disqualification.
“Sa kanyang Dissenting Opinion, ipinaliwanag niya na walang violation kahit isa ang Duterte Youth Party-List,” the group said, referring to allegations that they failed to meet a one-page publication requirement. They claimed this responsibility legally lies with the Comelec itself under the Party-List Law (RA 7941).
They further argued that the Comelec is attempting to twist the law, ignoring the party-list’s previous successful participation in the 2019 and 2022 elections, where their name had been published in official ballots and their registration acknowledged multiple times.
“Paano natin mahulaan kung kelan gusto ni Comelec na tayo ang magpublish ng isang bagay na sila ang required sa batas na magpublish?” the group added.
The party-list also criticized Comelec’s handling of other candidates and party-lists, claiming that even those with serious legal issues such as terrorism and criminal convictions have been allowed to run and be proclaimed.
“Ngayon lang tayo nakakita ng mga ganitong abogado na gin*go ang batas,” they said. “Akala nitong COMELEC, bobong bobo ang mga Pilipino, kaya nakawin ang boto ng milyon-milyong Pilipino.”