Comelec postpones Duterte Youth, Bagong Henerasyon proclamations

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) postponed the proclamation of Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon Party-list groups due to pending disqualification cases.

Both party-lists have been suspended until their petitions are resolved, with Duterte Youth winning three seats based on recent election results and Bagong Henerasyon assured one seat.

Duterte Youth faces two disqualification cases: one for red-tagging filed by student leaders from various state universities, and another for alleged material misrepresentation dating back to 2019 involving its original nominees.

Bagong Henerasyon has also faced a disqualification case but no specific details have been disclosed. Duterte Youth Chairman Ronald Gian Carlo L. Cardema told reporters on Tuesday that the Comelec only notified them of their suspension three or four hours before the proclamation rites, leaving little time to address the situation.

The party-list criticized the lack of prior notice and due process in the disqualification petitions, describing the decision as a 'grave abuse of discretion' and announced plans to challenge it before the Supreme Court, emphasizing their national election by over 2.3 million Filipinos.

The 20th Congress will see 63 seats allocated to party-list representatives from 75 groups, with Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon among those facing delays in their proclamations.