Duterte Youth hits Comelec for ‘silence’ on cases vs. rival party-lists

The Duterte Youth Party-list (DYPL) slammed what it called the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) “deafening silence” on the disqualification cases filed against its left-leaning rivals, Gabriela Youth and Kabataan, while it continues to face scrutiny over its own legitimacy.

In a Facebook post, DYPL lashed out at critics who have branded them as “fraudulent” and questioned why Comelec has yet to act on the cases filed in 2019 by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) against Gabriela and Kabataan party-lists.

“The question now from the millions who voted for Duterte Youth is: If these groups say we are merely red-tagging them, why does the Comelec remain silent on the very serious cases filed against them by the government, with all State Solicitors signing the complaint?” the group posted.

They also raised concern over Comelec’s alleged inaction, noting that Kabataan continues to serve in Congress despite the pending complaint, and Gabriela stands to benefit should DYPL be disqualified.

“There is a clear bias and unequal treatment. Media should press Comelec on this issue,” DYPL added.

In response, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia assured the public that a resolution on the Duterte Youth case is forthcoming.

“There is already a draft resolution. The process requires it to be circulated among Division members for concurrence or dissent,” Garcia explained. “Let’s just wait a little longer.”

Garcia also addressed questions on why other party-list cases, such as that of Bagong Henerasyon (BH), were resolved earlier.

“The BH case was a technical issue—no copy was furnished to the respondent, which violated due process. The Duterte Youth case, however, involves more complicated matters,” he said.

Garcia emphasized that the Comelec is prioritizing long-pending cases like that of DYPL, and assured that a final decision will be issued soon. TRACY CABRERA