Gabriela Youth to Comelec: Disqualify Duterte Youth

The Gabriela Youth on Tuesday filed a formal letter with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), seeking for the disqualification of the Duterte Youth party-list from Eleksyon 2025.

Members of the progressive group trooped in front of the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila to stage a rally for the immediate resolution of a 2019 petition seeking to nullify the registration of the Duterte Youth.

"Duterte Youth is a fraud. They do not represent the dreams, demands, or struggles of the Filipino youth. What they represent is a legacy of red-tagging, militarism, and violence—especially toward women, LGBTQ+ youth, and those who dare to speak out," said Gabriela Youth National Spokesperson Fran Reyes.

"Duterte Youth does not speak for us. They are a mouthpiece for state terror, not a voice for the youth. Their disqualification is not just legal—it is moral and urgent,” Reyes added.

Duterte Youth ranked second during the recently-concluded May 12 elections, garnering 2,338,564 votes, translating to two seats in the House of Representatives.

However, the Comelec suspended their proclamation due to pending cases filed against them. 

In March, the Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-asa also filed with the poll body an urgent motion to resolve a petition seeking to cancel or to declare nullity their registration of Duterte Youth for being void ab initio, or void from the beginning for committing material representation when they fieled overaged nominees in 2019. 

The case has been pending with the poll body for the past six years. 

Section 9 of Republic Act No. 7491 or the Party-list System Act states that party-list representatives of the youth sector should only be aged between 25 to 30 years old. Cardema was 34 years old when he was named Duterte Youth first nominee. 

In August 2019, the Comelec canceled Cardema’s nomination due to misrepresentation. He was replaced by his wife, Ducielle Cardema.

Duterte Youth

Meanwhile, the Duterte Youth questioned the Comelec’s alleged “silence” on the 2019 disqualification cases filed by the NTF-ELCAC against Gabriela Partylist and Kabataan Partylist. 

“The remaining question now from the millions of Filipinos who elected Duterte Youth Party-List is: If these two party-lists, who are claiming Duterte Youth Partylist is only red-tagging them if they also have pending Comelec cases that are very serious and grave, filed by the Government of the Philippines, signed by all State Solicitors of the Philippine Government, why is COMELEC silent on this and not even suspending Kabataan Party-List’s Proclamation now and not also deciding on Gabriela’s case, because if DYPL is disqualified, Gabriela will benefit with a Congress slot,” the party-list said on a Facebok post.

“This very clear bias and unequal treatment, should be asked by those from Media to the Comelec,” he said.

Comelec

For its part, Comelec chief George Erwin Garcia said the poll body is set to release its resolution on the case. 

“Ang alam ko mayroon na silang resolution sa bagay na yan,” said Garcia.

(As far as I know, they already have a resolution on the case.)

“Katulad ng sinasabi natin, huwag mag-alala ‘yan naturang partylist at supporters sapagkat iyan ay kasama sa mga pina-prioritize katulad ng ibang kaso natin. Matagal nang nakabinbin yan kaya nararapat lamang na ito ay madesisyunan na. Dapat matapos na rin para magka alaman kung ano ba talaga ‘yung patutunguhan ng party-list,” he said.

(Like what we have been saying, the Duterte Youth and their supporters need not to worry because this case is among our priorities. It has long been pending and it is just righ that a decision needs to be made. It should be resolved so we could finally know where the party-list is headed.)

Asked on the reason why the resolution has yet to be issued, Garcia said: “May proseso sa Division. Pag may draft na ang ponente, kailangan iikot sa members. Pag-aaralan nila kung sasama or dissent dun sa ginawa ng ponente. Hintayin na lang natin - konting-konting panahon na lang po ‘yun”.

(We have a process. After the ponente drafts the resolution, it would be passed around to the members and they would study if they agree or dissent to what the ponente drafted. Let us wait - this is just a short matter of time.)

The Comelec chairperson also explained the case of Bagong Henerasyon (BH) party-list was resolved earlier as Duterte Youth’s case is more complicated. 

“Yun kasing BH party-list ay on technicality. Nakita wala pala namang copy furnished so dun pa lamang sa issue na yun, wala nang due process. Dito kasi sa Duterte Youth medyo kumplikado,” said Garcia.

(The case of BH partylist was based on a technicality but the case of Duterte Youth is more complicated. We saw there was no copy furnished and itself is an issue, there was no due process. For the Duterte Youth it’s more complicated.)

“Sabi ng Division, yung issue nga dito kino-consider kasi lahat… or example, paano nakatakbo ng 2019, 2022 at 2025? It goes into the very heart daw po ang issue ng accreditation so hindi po ganoon kadali katulad ng sa Bagong Henerasyon party-list na bago pumunta sa merits ng kaso, tiningnan muna kung ito ay supisyente in form bago yung substance,” he added. 

(The Division said that in the case of Duterte Youth, they needed to consider a lot of factors such as why were they allowed to run in 2019, 2022, and 2015? ? It goes into the very heart of the accreditation so it is not as easy compared to the Bagong Henerasyon party-list where before you go to the merits of the case, we need to look if this is sufficient in form before substance.) —RF, GMA Integrated News

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