DAVAO CITY – The Duterte Youth party-list has criticized the Commission on Elections for proclaiming Gabriela Women’s party while withholding Duterte Youth’s proclamation over a pending case, calling the move “a naked political maneuver.”
In a statement on their Facebook page, the party-list accused Comelec under Chairperson George Garcia of applying double standard.
Duterte Youth noted that while the Comelec blocked their proclamation in May due to a pending case from 2019, Gabriela was allowed to take a seat in Congress despite facing unresolved cases before the poll body.
“This decision insults the democratic will of over two million Filipinos who voted for Duterte Youth,” said the group which stressed its 2.3 million votes in the last elections.
Duterte Youth argued that the issue is already under review by the Supreme Court and that the Comelec should have waited for the High Court’s ruling before acting on Gabriela’s proclamation.
“Due process demands consistency,” the Duterte Youth said. “To proclaim Gabriela before that case is resolved is to trample on the rule of law and constitutional guarantees.”
The party-list questioned Garcia’s impartiality, pointing out his past role as lawyer for the Marcos family and alleging favoritism towards Left-leaning groups such as Gabriela.
“If Chair Garcia truly believes in equal enforcement of the law, then let him apply it uniformly – not pick and choose which groups to disqualify based on political predilections,” the Duterte Youth said.
They vowed to file a protest and exhaust all legal remedies to defend the mandate of their more than two million voters.
“We will not stand silent,” Duterte Youth declared, calling on the Comelec to immediately rescind its decision.
Duterte Youth questioned why their proclamation was stopped over a minor issue, while Gabriela was allowed despite facing a more serious terrorism case.
The Comelec announced on Sept. 11 that they will hold off on deciding who will replace the Duterte Youth party-list in the May 12 elections until their ruling becomes final.
Garcia said the poll body will follow the recommendation of their Law Department and the Supervisory Committee of the National Board of Canvassers to suspend discussions on the possible replacement of Duterte Youth.
Garcia said the decision on Duterte Youth will only become final by Sept. 30. He added that they can expect the Certificate of Finality to be issued after that date.
The Comelec en banc upheld the cancellation of Duterte Youth registration, which would have earned three seats in the House of Representatives if they were proclaimed.
Following the ruling, the Duterte Youth party-list appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking an order to stop the Comelec from enforcing their disqualification.