NEWS | Women, youth sector call to fast-track Duterte Youth DQ, proclaim GABRIELA in 20th Congress

Gabriela Alliance of Filipino Women, Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa (KTAP), and allied groups staged a protest in front of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Main Office on June 25, urging the Commission to expedite the finality of the disqualification case against Duterte Youth party-list.

The women’s alliance also filed a unified appeal from marginalized groups, reinforcing its push for the GABRIELA Women’s Party to be proclaimed as a winning member of the incoming Congress.

“Sana bilisan na ang pagdedesisyon ng COMELEC, lalong-lalo na [ay] sana pumabor na ibalik sa pwesto ang Gabriela Women’s Party-list… Nandito ang lahat ng sulat at apela ng ating networks, kaibigan, at mga samahan na tinulungan ng Gabriela Party-list sa kanilang isyung kinakaharap,” GABRIELA Deputy Secretary-General Cora Agovida said.

Cancellation of Registration

The COMELEC Second Division revoked Duterte Youth Party-list’s registration, declaring it void ab initio, meaning it was invalid from the start, after six years and three elections.

Their cancellation stemmed from a petition first filed in 2019 by youth leaders, which contended that the group failed to genuinely represent the youth sector and neglected requirements for publication and public hearings under the Party‑List System Act.

However, the Duterte Youth has filed a motion for reconsideration, claiming that the ruling of the poll body’s Second Division is “grievously erred” and lacked sufficient evidence. They also urge the COMELEC to proclaim them as the winning party after securing three seats during the 2025 midterm elections.

Since no proclamation has been issued and no assumption of office has taken place, the poll body retains full jurisdiction over the case and will be lifted to the COMELEC en banc.

‘Proclaim Gabriela now’ – groups

Various groups contest that as the “sole and genuine representative of women, children, and LGBTQIA+,” the Gabriela Party-list should be proclaimed as a winning party in the 20th Congress after ranking 55th and garnering 256,069 votes in the recent midterm elections.

“The women's group—whose decades of work gave rise to women's representation in Congress through the founding of Gabriela Women's Party (GWP) in 2000—has a long and distinguished track record of championing legislation that directly benefits women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, children, and the rest of the marginalized communities in the country,” GABRIELA said.

If Duterte Youth is fully disqualified, GABRIELA and the other parties could be proclaimed, but the COMELEC has yet to issue a decision, and the seat may instead go to other high‑voted parties.

“Kung ipoproklama man ang mga mas nakakataas pa na nasa seats, we really urge the Commission on Elections to rethink about that, and at the same time really adhere doon sa panawagan din ng mga mamamayan na iproklama na rin ‘yong mga nasa hulihang seats na parte ng marginalized sectors,” KTAP National Convenor Brell Lacerna said.

Lacerna added that Duterte Youth “shouldn’t even run in the Congress,” as its registration has been voided and nullified.

"Malinaw sa taumbayan ang malinis, tapat, matapang at makamasang track record ng Gabriela. Mahaba pa ang laban para sa karapatan at kagalingan ng kababaihan at iba pang sektor. Kailangan namin ng maaasahang katuwang sa Kongreso, hindi ng mga katulad ng Duterte Youth na ginagamit ang posisyon para sa pansariling interes," Agovida argued. 

Article: John Lloyd Pablico

Graphics: Justine Ceniza