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GMA Network
a day ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Comelec cancels Duterte Youth party-list registration
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday cancelled the registration of the Duty to Energize the Republic through the Enlightenment of the Youth Sectoral Party-list Organization, more known as the Duterte Youth Party-list. In a 25-page decision promulgated Wednesday, the Comelec Second Division granted a 2019 petition that sought to nullify the party-list registration of the Duterte Youth for being void ab initio, or void from the beginning, after the party-list failed to comply with the jurisdictional requirements of publication and hearing. 'Duterte Youth cannot merely hide under the convenient excuse that the Commission had not required it to publish its Petition for registration or that the Commission has not set a hearing, as it reflects poorly on the party's commitment to transparency and accountability,' the ruling read. The decision added that Duterte Youth 'should have demonstrated good faith compliance with the law and the constitution as an earnest performance of its duty to the electorate.' The Comelec said Duterte Youth committed grounds for cancellation of registration when it fielded overage nominees in 2019. 'It is true that party-list organizations have the freedom to choose their nominees, often through their own internal mechanisms. However, this freedom is not without limits. While the Court recognizes party autonomy, party-list groups must still operate within statutory framework. Unarguably, Section 9, R.A. 7941 listed the qualifications of party-list nominees, including the highly disputed age qualification of at least 25 but not more than 35 years of age on the day of the election,' the decision said. 'Thus, when Duterte Youth deliberately accommodated its overaged candidate just a few hours before the 13 May 2019 National and Local Elections, arguing that it has all the freedom to choose whoever it chooses as nominee, its bona fide intent to represent the youth sector becomes clouded with doubt. To stress, it is the nominee who has to qualify in representing the sector, not the other way around. The sector cannot be tailored to fit the nominee's profile,' the poll body added. Further, the Second Division ruled the Duterte Youth party-list violated Section 2(3), Rule 2 of Resolution No. 9366 when it used the machinery of the National Youth Commission to promote their candidacy. The party-list likewise 'undermined the spirit and intent of the party-list system and put a mockery in the election process' when it withdrew and substituted en masse its nominees in 2019. 'It is the duty of the Commission to respond when the technicalities of election laws are being exploited and used as tools for manipulation. To find otherwise would be to encourage the abhorrent practice of hunting for loopholes and to keep a blind eye on corruption and abuse of the system,' the ruling said. GMA Integrated News has reached out to the Duterte Youth Party-list for comment. 'Not yet final' Meanwhile, poll chief George Erwin Garcia said the decision is not yet final and executory as the party-list may still file a motion for reconsideration (MR) with the Comelec en banc. 'Bagamat yun ang naging decision ng Comelec division, may remedyo ang naturang partylist. Maaari pa rin silang mag-file ng motion for reconsideration upang maresolve yan ng Commission en banc,' Garcia said. (The partylist may still avail of legal remedies. They can file a motion for reconsideration with the Comelec en banc.) —RF, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
JUST NOW: Pasig congressional candidate Ian Sia has been disqualified by Comelec
Pasig congressional candidate Christian 'Ian' Sia was disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday, May 7, for making discriminatory and lewd statements, particularly against single mothers and a former assistant. The Comelec 2nd Division gave its decision on Wednesday, May 7, saying it agreed with the complaint made by its anti-discrimination panel, which started the case motu proprio, or on its own initiative. 'Respondent is hereby DISQUALIFIED from continuing as a candidate for Member, House of Representatives, Lone Legislative District of Pasig City in relation to the 2025 National and Local Elections,' the decision read. This is the first time that a candidate has been disqualified over discriminatory remarks, according to Comelec records. Sia, a candidate under the opposition group 'Kaya This,' faced strong criticism from lawmakers, civic groups, and netizens after saying in a campaign event that, if he won, he would let single mothers in Pasig have sex with him once a year. The Comelec's Task Force Safe had earlier issued two show-cause orders against Sia after his inappropriate remarks about women. In his official response dated April 8, Sia said, 'My campaign events are my way of conversing with my constituents. While the words may sound brash, my speech, in its entirety, falls within my freedom of speech.' Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia clarified that Sia could still appeal the disqualification before the full commission and eventually elevate the case to the Supreme Court.
