The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it is ready to defend itself against the certiorari (judicial review) lawsuit filed by the Duterte Youth party-list, after the poll body suspended its proclamation due to ongoing legal cases.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, who inhibited himself from the poll body’s decision regarding the group’s proclamation due to a prior professional relationship, reaffirmed their dedication to address the issue.
“We still maintain jurisdiction over their cases because they have not yet been admitted as members of the House of Representatives,” Garcia said, referring to Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon (BH), another party list group whose proclamation was similarly suspended by the election authority.
A case was filed in 2019 against Duterte Youth, questioning the accreditation process it went through, highlighting potential flaws and inconsistencies.
Recently, another petition was submitted, which not only raises serious concerns regarding the qualifications of the group, but also includes allegations of red-tagging.
Duterte Youth chairman Ronald Cardema earlier filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to stop the Comelec from suspending the group’s proclamation as one of the winning party-list organizations in the May 12 national and local elections.
Cardema said he filed a petition for certiorari with a prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the implementation of the Comelec resolution — sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) — that suspended Duterte Youth’s proclamation alongside other party-lists.
He argued that NBOC Resolution No. 14-25, dated 18 May 2025, is unconstitutional and violates Section 7, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, which mandates that winning party-list nominees are entitled to serve a three-year term.
Cardema also claimed the Comelec was trying to revive a 2019 case against Duterte Youth involving allegations of vote buying and failure to file registration as a party-list — issues which, he said, were already raised and dismissed by the Supreme Court due to lack of basis.