Comelec upholds Duterte Youth registration cancelation

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has upheld its decision to cancel the registration of the Duterte Youth party-list for failing to comply with mandatory requirements such as publication and hearing.

Voting 5-1, the Comelec en banc affirmed the Second Division's ruling from June 2025 that voided the group's registration due to non-compliance with legal prerequisites.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, who previously served as counsel for Duterte Youth, did not participate in the deliberations.

The Comelec en banc found no merit in Duterte Youth’s motion for reconsideration and reaffirmed that the group failed to publish required documents and engaged in mass substitution of nominees, undermining election integrity.

In denying the motion for reconsideration, the poll body noted how the Second Division delved into the evidence on record and found them consistent with applicable laws, stressing there is no prescriptive period for canceling party-list registrations.

Duterte Youth received over two million votes in the May 2025 midterm elections but was not proclaimed by the National Board of Canvassers due to pending cases; Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the ruling is appealable and can be elevated to the Supreme Court within 30 days.

Several groups, including Gabriela Youth, Anakbayan, and Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-asa, urged the Comelec to disqualify Duterte Youth from the party-list system, claiming 'misrepresentation' of the youth sector.