The Duterte Youth party-list lashed out at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Monday over the suspension of its proclamation, delivering statements with threats and sweeping allegations against the institution and its officials.
In a strongly worded press statement dated May 19, chairperson Ronald Cardema accused the poll body of “grave abuse of discretion” and warned that the party would expose supposed corruption if their nominees are not proclaimed, despite offering no evidence to support these claims.
“Pag kami na ibinoto ng milyon-milyong Pilipino ay tatarantaduhin ninyo, ikekwento namin lahat sa taumbayan ang mga kalokohan ninyo sa gobyernong ito (If you mess with us—who were voted for by millions of Filipinos—we’ll expose your wrongdoings in this government),” Cardema said.
Duterte Youth’s outburst stemmed from the Comelec’s decision to withhold the proclamation of its three nominees—Drixie Mae Cardema, Berlin Lingwa, and Ron Bawalan—pending the resolution of a case challenging the party’s eligibility.
The group described the complaint, which it blamed on opponent Kabataan party-list, as “hao shao” (phony) and was meant to harass their organization. Duterte Youth is also facing a disqualification case over allegations of ‘red tagging,’ which was not clearly addressed in the statement.
“Let us assume our seats and be part of the opposition so that Congress won’t just be a rubber stamp, and so we can fully support the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PNP (Philippine National Police) in fighting the enemies of the government—that has long been our advocacy in this country,” the group said in Tagalog.
Duterte Youth is a right-wing organization aligned with former President Rodrigo Duterte, backing his policies that have long faced intense public and institutional scrutiny.