The Commission on Elections (Comelec) clarified the decision to suspend the proclamation of winning party-list groups Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon (BH), citing unresolved legal cases as the reason behind the delay.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia stressed that the decision was made by the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) in adherence to due process, emphasizing the proclamation of both groups was suspended despite their electoral victories due to pending cases that remain unresolved at the division level of the commission.
“Minarapat ng National Board of Canvassers na huwag munang iproklama hangga’t hindi natatapos yung kasong nakapending po sa amin sa Comelec,” Garcia explained in the Damdaming Bayan interview on Tuesday, May 20.
Garcia said that Comelec is open to any legal challenge, asserting that any party questioning the commission’s actions is free to escalate the issue to the Supreme Court (SC).
“Welcome na welcome po sa atin yan yung pagfa-file ng kaso sa Korte Suprema,” he said.
“Wala pa rin makakapagpigil sa Korte Suprema kung sa palagay nila ay nayapakan ang karapatan ng mga party-list,” Garcia added.
The Comelec chair explained that the case against the Duterte Youth stems from two pending complaints, one dating back to 2019, allegedly filed by Kabataan Party-list, and another submitted shortly before the 2025 elections.
While the Bagong Henerasyon Party-list is also facing a recently filed petition, both of which are still being reviewed at the division level.
The chairman assured the public that the cases could still be resolved before June 30 — the date when elected party-list representatives officially assume office in Congress.
“Ireresolba po natin agad bago mag June 30 para naman po hindi masayang ang mandato na binigay ng mga kababayan natin sa kanila,” he said, adding that it would be more damaging to proclaim them on Monday, May 19, prematurely only to later revoke their accreditation.
Duterte Youth challenges the NBOC's decision
However, Duterte Youth’s representative Ronald Cardema lashed out at the commission, labeling the suspension a “grave abuse of discretion.”
“Kalokohan ‘yan, grave and abuse of discretion ‘yan,” said Cardema in a Balansyado interview on Monday, May 19 after the proclamation of the winning partylists in the 2025 elections.
Cardema accused Comelec of suppressing their electoral win with over 2.3 million votes, making them the second top-performing party-list and vowed to bring the matter to the SC.
He further argued that the case was politically motivated and trivial, citing that he was accused of vote-buying for pledging to donate all party-list funds to the public.
“Kinasuhan ako ng vote-buying dahil sinabi ko na lahat ng pera ng Duterte Youth ay ibibigay namin sa taumbayan. Good governance ‘yun, ‘di ba?” Cardema asserted.
He also said the accusations against Duterte Youth for “promoting violence” stemmed from their support for the military and opposition to the New People’s Army (NPA), calling it an ironic attack from leftist groups.
"Pangalawa, yung kinaso pa nila dahil daw sinusuportahan namin itong AFP PNP, pag-ubos sa NPA at dito sa pakikipagdebate dito sa makakaliwa eh promoting violence daw kami," he explained.
Cardema accused the Comelec of deliberately delaying the announcement to prevent legal recourse.
“Ngayon lang binanggit ng Comelec... mismong araw ng proklamasyon. Kung sinabi nila last week, nakapag-file pa kami ng kahit ano,” he said, vowing to take the issue to the Supreme Court.
“Hindi nila pwedeng baliwalain ang boto ng lampas dalawang milyong Pilipino,” he stressed.
Cardema also pointed out political bias against his group due to their affiliation with the Duterte family and claimed betrayal from those they once supported.
“Syempre ang pangalan pa lang namin, Duterte Youth. Kinampanya kami ni Pangulong Duterte, kinampanya kami ni Vice President Sara Duterte... ngayon ginigipit kami,” he lamented.
As the controversy intensifies, both Duterte Youth and BH Party-list are now awaiting the resolution of their respective cases ahead of the June 30 deadline. They have also reaffirmed their intent to challenge the NBOC’s sudden decision to withhold their proclamation as winners before the Supreme Court.
