MANILA — The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has upheld the cancellation of the Duterte Youth party-list, declaring its registration void ab initio — invalid from the start.

In a 5-1-1 vote on Thursday, the COMELEC En Banc affirmed an earlier ruling by its Second Division dated June 18, 2025, which found that the party-list had failed to meet key legal requirements. COMELEC Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, who had previously served as counsel for Duterte Youth, recused himself from the case.

The decision stems from a petition filed in 2019 by youth leaders, who argued that Duterte Youth’s registration had been approved without the proper publication and formal hearing required under the Party-list System Act. The Second Division concluded that this procedural lapse rendered the registration void from the beginning.

Duterte Youth garnered more than 2.3 million votes in the 2025 midterm elections, enough to potentially secure three seats in the House of Representatives. Its proclamation, however, had been suspended pending the resolution of the disqualification case. COMELEC had already proclaimed 52 other party-lists, leaving Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon in limbo.

The ruling has been welcomed by groups advocating for genuine representation in the party-list system. Sarah Elago, national vice-chair of the Gabriela Women’s Partylist, said the decision “offers hope for the removal of other fake and bogus party-lists dominated by political dynasties and big businesses.”

Under the 1993 COMELEC Rules of Procedure, the ruling will become final and executory in five days, unless a motion for reconsideration is filed.

📷 Duterte Youth Party-list FB