DAVAO CITY (October 2) — The Commission on Elections issued a Certificate of Finality and Entry of Judgment of the Order En Banc, canceling the Duterte Youth Party-list registration immediately.
On August 29, the Commission En Banc denied the Duterte Youth Party-list’s move for reconsideration and upheld the Comelec Second Division’s cancellation of its registration.
“The Commission En Banc iterated the decision of the Commission Second Division wherein it found that Duterte Youth Party-list’s registration is void ab initio for failure to comply with the publication and hearing requirements, which are jurisdictional in nature,” according to the statement.
The reasons for its party registration being canceled include false statements in its petition, especially regarding the eligibility of its nominees; the petition’s lack of a sincere desire to represent the sector for which it was filed, which makes it impossible to accurately ascertain the electorate’s true will.
Comelec further stated that the party-list called for violence or illegal tactics to attain its aim and was an auxiliary of or an entity supported or assisted by the National Youth Commission.
It also violated or failed to comply with election laws, rules, or regulations, and a petition was filed to mock or discredit the electoral process.
“The withdrawal and substitution en masse, as well as the back-and-forth switching of DUTERTE YOUTH partylist nominees during the 2019 National and Local Elections, undermine the spirit and intent of the party-list system and put a mockery on the election process,” it said.
Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, the Duterte Youth criticized the Comelec’s decision. “Magkano bayad nung tatlong talo na mabibigyan ng 3 Congress Seats? Putanginang Bulok na Marcos Admin to!” it added.
The Comelec would redistribute three Duterte Youth-won seats after the ruling.
