MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — The Commission on Elections said Wednesday its Second Division cancelled the registration of  Duterte Youth as party-list.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the voted 2-1 to nullify the Duterte Youth's registration, which strips them of the rights and privileges of an accredited party-list.

He said that may affect the votes that group got in the May elections and the seats its nominees were elected to.

"Masyadong premature at this point, kasi mayroon pang remedyo ang naturang party-list," he said.

(It is premature to say at this point because the party-list still has legal remedies)

He said the ruling was not yet final and the Duterte Youth could still file a motion for reconsideration within five days.

He added the decision is on a case filed against the party-list nearly five years ago over its alleged failure to submit accreditation requirements. 

“Mahaba yung naging diskusyon...more or less dahil daw sa kakulangan sa mga requirements na yan. Hindi kumpleto ang mga requirements and therefore hindi daw dapat nagawaran ng accreditation,” Garcia said.

Some progressive groups separately urged the Comelec to nullify the Duterte Youth for alleged material misrepresentation when it fielded overage nominees in 2019.

Issues surrounding Duterte Youth likely resolved by June 30 — Comelec

WHAT THE COMELEC DIVISION SAID 

Among the grounds the poll body’s 2nd Division found to cancel the party-list’s registration were the lack of publication, hearing, and non-compliance with the requirements the Comelec set for party-lists seeking accreditation

In its 24-page decision, the poll body’s division said Duterte Youth committed grounds for the cancellation of registration under Section 2, Rule 2 of Comelec Resolution No. 9366.

This includes Duterte Youth’s failure to comply with the jurisdictional requirements of publication and hearing, intention to represent the sector, and issues with alleged funding from the National Youth Commission.  

“Mahaba yung naging diskusyon, more or less dahil daw sa kakulangan sa mga requirements na yan... and therefore hindi daw dapat nagawaran ng accreditation,” he said.

(It was a long discussion, more or less because they were lacking these requirements... and therefore should not have been accredited)

The division also noted that while Duterte Youth, which identifies as a multi-sectoral party-list for youth and young professionals, documents it submitted "made little to no reference of the professional sector."

It said: “By any reasonable demographic and sociological standard, young professionals are inherently part of the youth sector, and awareness of this fact cannot be opportunely denied to accommodate the party's ineligible nominee.”

'ASSISTANCE' FROM NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION

The Comelec 2nd Division also said the petitioners "sufficiently" convinced members that the party-list “was able to get assistance and take useful advantage of Mr. [Ronald] Cardema's official position in NYC before he ultimately unveiled his political agenda.” 

Cardema had filed to be a substitute nominee on the day before the 2019 elections, a move that the 2nd Division called “the curtain call to Duterte Youth's maneuver designed to further its visibility and boost its candidacy using the NYC's platform.”

The support and “political advantage” of the group, the division said, were also shown by the inclusion of the National Youth Commission’s name in the title of Duterte Youth's petition for registration.

It also said the “back and forth switching” of the group’s nominees on May 12, 2019, undermined the spirit and intent of the party-list system.

“The timing and scale of the last-minute changes violate the principle of transparency and fair representation and deprives the electorate the opportunity to make informed choices,” it added.

Commissioner Rey Bulay dissented from the decision. 

The party-list named after former President Rodrigo Duterte also faced a probe into Rep. Drixie Mae Suarez Cardema’s surname, which is apparently just Suarez.

Drixie is the sister of Ducielle Cardema, wife of the group’s chairman Ronald.

The Duterte Youth, however, had argued Rep. Cardema was using a “political name”.

Ronald and Ducielle also ran under the Cardema "political name" for local posts in Laguna province, but lost.

Comelec shuns exposé 'threat' of Duterte Youth exec: 'Bugso lang ng damdamin'