Comelec proclaims Gabriela, Kabataan party-lists amid pending disqualification cases

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed Gabriela and Kabataan party-list groups as winners in the May 2022 elections, despite pending disqualification cases, a decision based on the poll body's discretion.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia explained that the proclamation does not signify the dismissal of the pending cases against the party-lists.

Garcia stated that Comelec's precedent allows for the proclamation of candidates or party-lists with pending cases if the cases are not deemed sufficiently meritorious or even if they are, it's still within the poll body's discretion.

The disqualification cases were initiated by Liga Independencia Pilipinas, which alleged links between Gabriela and Kabataan party-lists and communist rebels.

The Makabayan bloc, which includes the two party-lists, has refuted these allegations, calling the petition "trumped-up" and accusing the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of harassment.