Act on petition to cancel Duterte Youth party-list registration, Comelec told

MANILA, Philippines – A progressive youth group said on Tuesday that the Commission on Election (Comelec) should act on the petition to cancel the Duterte Youth party list’s registration, which has been pending for over six years.

Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-asa (KTAP) group members held a brief demonstration in front of Comelec’s headquarters at Palacio del Gobernador.

KTAP national convenor Brell Lacerna filed an urgent motion for Comelec to resolve the petition to cancel the party-list registration and/or declare the nullity of registration against Duterte Youth, which was filed on September 3, 2019.

“The prolonged resolution of these cases disregards the constitutional provision ensuring the genuine representation of the marginalized, especially of the youth,” Lacerna said in a statement.

In response, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the petition to cancel the Duterte Youth party list’s registration would be resolved before the May 12 polls.

“My commitment is, even the cases from 2024 to 2025 will be resolved before the May 12 elections,” Garcia said in an ambush interview in Filipino.

Asked if this included the petition against Duterte Youth, Garcia said: “Yes, we will resolve, even the Duterte youth petition.”

“Otherwise, it will go on and on, issues like that will not be resolved with finality,” he added.

Duterte Youth is running for reelection in the 2025 polls.

Lacerne reiterated that the party-list group made untruthful statements regarding the age of their nominees.

One of Duterte Youth nominees at that time was former National Youth Commission chairman Ronald Cardema, who the Comelec had disqualified. 

The party-list law sets an age requirement for youth representatives at the maximum age of 30 years on the day of the election.