By MICHEL JOY RADAM
Bulatlat.com

BULACAN – Various groups welcomed the recent resolution of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which cancelled the registration of the Duterte Youth partylist.   

In an interview with Bulatlat, Gabriela Women’s Partylist National Vice Chairperson Sarah Elago said that the cancellation of Duterte Youth Partylist’s registration should pave the way for Commission on Elections (Comelec) to remove other “fake and bogus partylists,” including those backed by political dynasties and big businesses.

She described Comelec’s move as a positive development particularly for young people who continue to advocate for democracy and genuine representation in Congress.

She urged the public to remain vigilant and strengthen the voice of those who truly represent the masses.

On June 18, Comelec Second Division released a resolution on the case filed against Duterte Youth Partylist in 2019. 

According to Comelec Chair George Garcia, the division voted 2-1 to cancel the Duterte Youth’s registration on grounds stated under Comelec Resolution No. 9366 specifying that the party-list group did not follow jurisdictional requirements of publication and hearing, and failure to sufficiently demonstrate its intent to represent the sector.

The Comelec’s decision can be traced back to 2019 where the party list’s registration was considered void ab initio, or invalid from the beginning, due to allegations that the party list’s registration was granted without following the due process required under the Party-list System Act.

Read: A child of impunity: Explaining the disqualification case against Duterte Youth

“Though it took more than five years for the Comelec to come up with a resolution, we still welcome this decision and reiterate that Duterte Youth is a bogus partylist,” said Danilo Arao, convenor of Kontra Daya, in a statement.

Kontra Daya has flagged Duterte Youth as a bogus partylist that had ties to military forces. 

Petitioners also said that the Comelec resolution did not only correct the procedural errors that allowed Duterte Youth to join the party-list elections but also upheld the rule of law. 

Counsel for the petitioner Emil Marañon III said that while Duterte Youth can still file a motion for reconsideration up to the Supreme Court up to five days, they guarantee that they will fight until the cancellation of Duterte Youth becomes final and permanent.

Meanwhile, ACT Teachers urged Comelec en banc to affirm the ruling to guarantee that eligible party-list groups are officially proclaimed before June 30. “Let us ensure that the party-list system will serve the interests of the sectors who should be represented, not the political families who use the system for their own benefits,” ACT Teachers said in a statement in Filipino.

Student Christian Movement of the Philippines said that Comelec’s decision is fitting as it happened on the eve of Jose Rizal’s birthday. “Aside from fielding overaged and questionable candidates, this party-list has done only harm to the youth. They never advocated for our aspirations like free education and other civil rights. Instead, they have only advocated what is inimical to the youth like red-tagging, disinformation, violations of academic freedom, and Mandatory ROTC,” San Andres said. 

Duterte Youth secured second place in the recent party-list polls with over 2.3 million votes. It is known for backing the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte and for its strong criticism of left-leaning groups. (With reports from Anne Marxze Umil)

Disclosure: Kontra Daya convener Danilo Arao is Bulatlat’s associate editor.