Comelec will soon issue a certificate of proclamation for a representative of the Duterte Youth Party-list, an official confirmed.
Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas said that they are planning to proclaim Ducielle Cardema, the wife of Ronald Cardema, within the week to validate the party-list group’s victory in the 2019 elections.
“Just two weeks ago, we already [approved] the granting of the Certificate of Proclamation to the partylist of Duterte Youth with the name of Ducielle Cardema as the representative, finally,” Abas told the House appropriations panel.
“Hopefully, meron nang apat na nakapima diyan (there are already four signatories there by now).”
“Hopefully, maka-release kami ng certificate of proclamation within the week,” he added.
[Hopefully, we will be able to release the certificate of proclamation within the week.]
Abas made the confirmation after Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza threatened to defer Comelec’s proposed budget for 2021 unless there is a progress over the issue.
“Nababawasan po tayo ng isang member ng House (We have one less member of the House) who could have helped youth in their sector,” Daza said. “Every day of delay is every day of being unjust.”
Election lawyers and youth representatives on Monday filed a letter before the Comelec opposing the proclamation of Ducielle Cardema, noting that Duterte Youth Party-list was not duly-registered before the poll body.
The Comelec previously canceled the bid of Ronald Cardema as the party-list representative, for misrepresenting his qualification as a youth sector nominee above 25 years of age.
The Party-list System Act states that a nominee of the youth sector must not be more than 30 years old.
Ducielle then became the group’s first nominee, following Ronald’s withdrawal of his nomination.
