MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) vowed on Monday that the issue surrounding the Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon (BH) party-list will be resolved before the 20th Congress opens on June 30, 2025.

This, after the poll body suspended the two party-list's proclamation due to their pending disqualification petitions.

"Syempre ayaw din naman nila (party-lists) na hanggang ngayon may kwestiyon doon sa kanilang pagkaka-halal. Again, ang commitment natin ay bago mag June 30 ay 'yan ay mareresolba natin," Comelec chief George Erwin Garcia said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo's Johnson Ikwento Mo.

Garcia also said that in case June 30 comes and no resolutions were made regarding the disqualification petitions, the seats supposedly allotted to the Duterte Youth and BH party-list will remain vacant.

"Mababakante 'yung apat na seats sa ating House of Representatives. Sa halip na 63, 59 na lang makakaupo na miyembro ng House of Representatives kung darating man 'yung June 30 at wala pa tayong napo-proklama doon sa dalawa," he said.

Before the proclamation suspension, the Duterte Youth party-list was set to have three seats in the House of Representatives while BH was set to have one seat.

When asked on why the Comelec has not yet issued a resolution on the matter despite the petition being filed way back in 2019, Garcia said he was not aware of it when he became the Comelec chairman in 2022.

"Yung 2019, wala pa naman [ako] dyan [sa Comelec]. Hindi natin alam na mayroon palang gano'n. Bagamat ako ay nakapaglingkod bilang isang abogado doon sa mismong natura na party-list, hindi na kasi ako nagkaroon ng update," he said.

"Maganda rin na napaalala ngayon 'yung kaso na 'yan at siguro naman naniniwala ako kahit 'yung party-lists na 'yan mas gugustuhin nila na magkaroon na ng final na resolusyon 'yung issue," he continued.