Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia on Thursday said the poll body is prepared to answer all legal questions concerning the recent proclamation of Gabriela Women’s Party as the 64th winning party-list in the 2025 May elections.
Garcia issued this response after the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) filed a petition questioning this development before the Supreme Court (SC).
“It’s good this has been taken to the Supreme Court for clarification,” Garcia said in a statement. “Conflict of interpretations on a question of law is ripe for judicial review. We will defend our stand,” he added.
The Comelec on Wednesday moved to officially proclaim Gabriela through its first nominee Sarah Jane Elago as duly elected representative of the party-list group, which received 256,811 votes in the last midterm elections.
Garcia also reminded parties contesting the proclamation to raise their concerns before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), which assumes jurisdiction over poll cases involving party-list groups.
The Comelec chief likewise clarified that the proclamation of Gabriela has nothing to do with the cancellation of registration of Duterte Youth.
“It’s not connected. Our proclamation of Gabriela party-list has nothing to do with Duterte Youth. In fact, if there had been no issue with Duterte Youth and we have to proclaim 64 (winning party-list groups) and they really placed at 64th, we will still proclaim Gabriela,” Garcia said.
