The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has officially revoked the registration of the Duterte Youth, a party-list group allied with former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement released Wednesday, October 1, the COMELEC En Banc announced that it had denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the Duterte Youth Party-list.
The En Banc affirmed the ruling of the COMELEC Second Division, which earlier declared the registration of Duterte Youth “void ab initio.”
Likewise, the Commission cited several other grounds for the cancellation of its registration, including:
- Untruthful statements in its petition, particularly on the eligibility of its nominees;
- No bona fide intention to represent the sector for which the petition was filed, thus preventing a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate;
- Advocating violence or unlawful means to achieve its goals;
- Functioning as an adjunct of or entity funded/assisted by the National Youth Commission;
- Failure to comply with laws, rules, or regulations related to elections; and
- Filing of the petition in a manner that puts the election process in mockery or disrepute.
It can be recalled that the proclamation of Duterte Youth was delayed following the May 12 elections due to pending petitions against the group.
Meanwhile, on September 14, the Commission proclaimed the Gabriela Women’s Party to fill a vacant congressional seat.