DUTERTE YOUTH FILES SC PETITION VS COMELEC OVER NON-PROCLAMATION

L-R: Congressman Berlin Lingwa from the PNPA, Congresswoman Drixie Cardema from UP, Chairman Ronald Cardema, former President Rodrigo Duterte, ex-congresswoman Marie Cardema, and Congressman Ron Bawalan from the PMA.

DUTERTE Youth, one of the top party-lists in the 2025 midterm elections,  on Tuesday filed a petition before the  Supreme Court (SC) against the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for non-proclamation, after winning in the recent midterm elections.

The DUTERTE Youth Party-list expressed belief that the Commission committed grave abuse of discretion for not proclaiming their group.

The petition was filed after their supposed proclamation on Monday was suspended by the poll body despite placing second overall of the newly-elected 54 party-list groups during the May 12 elections.

Duterte Youth’s nominees are incumbent Rep. Drixie Cardema, a 28-year-old military reservist from the University of the Philippines and vice chair of the House Committee on National Defense and Security, and two Representatives-elect Berlin Lingwa, 26, from the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), and Ron Bawalan, 26,  from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). 

The Duterte Youth said despite being elected by more than 2.3 million Filipinos, their proclamation was derailed “deliberately” by the Comelec  due to a case filed by the leftist Kabataan Party-list in 2019.

“If the allegations of Kabataan Party-List filed in 2019 were really ‘very serious,’ why did Comelec allow Duterte Youth Party-List to 1. Assume in Congress after the 2019 elections, 2. Be elected again and assume in Congress after the 2022 elections, and be elected again in the 2025 elections, wherein millions of Filipino voters elected Duterte Youth Party-List to be their Representative in Congress,” Party chairman Ronald Cardema said. 

He added that it is not the fault of their Party-list if the Comelec did not dismiss the “hao shiao” or fake case after its last hearing in 2019, and that the Commission is now trying to subvert the votes of the Filipino people by delaying its proclamation that was supposed to happen on Monday. 

“Sinagot na namin lahat ‘yan sa Comelec noong 2019, mga mababaw na issue na wala naman katotohanan. Pinaupo na kami noon after manalo sa 2019 elections, pinaupo na kami after manalo sa 2022 elections, at ngayon na milyun-milyong Pilipino ang bumoto samin, ngayon mismong araw ng proclamation sasabihin na ihold muna dahil serious ‘yung allegation ng Kabataan Party-List noong 2019,” Cardema said. 

Among the allegations raised by Kabataan Party-list, an alleged front of the New People’s Army (NPA), include that the Duterte Youth Party-list is not registered with the Comelec, the party-list is doing vote-buying, and that it is promoting violence. 

Duterte Youth stressed on the first allegation, it is impossible for the party-list to be non-registered as the Comelec will not allow a non-registered entity to join in the elections. 

It also said that it is not conducting vote-buying and will not corrupt a single peso, adding it will devote its funds to the people, and will help the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in neutralizing terrorist NPA groups and its allies. 

“Ang dami-daming vote-buyers na pulitiko, ang dami-daming plunderers na pulitiko, kung sino pa ‘yung kaisa-isang kandidato na hindi talaga bumibili ng boto at hindi nangungurakot ng pondo, kaisa-isa pang nagbabalik sa Kongreso ng Death Penalty for Plunderers, Heinous Criminals, at NPA Terrorists, kami pa talaga ang i-hohold, hindi ‘yung mga kurakot at konektado sa mga terorista, ‘yan ang mga tunay na serious cases na dapat na panghold sa proclamation,” Cardema said.