A most-welcome cancellation

Many now look forward to the Commission on Elections's final ruling on the cancellation of the Duterte Youth's partylist registration, after the poll body's second division released its decision against the controversial group linked to and named after the former president.

- 

Once the decision becomes final, there should be no impediment for the proclamation of three more partylist representatives.

When that happens, it would be poetic justice. The rabid anti-communist Duterte Youth would have helped the Makabayan Bloc keep its three seats in Congress: ACT Teachers represented by Antonio Tinio, Kabataan represented by Renee Co, and Gabriela represented by Sarah Elago.

Everyone should read the Comelec second division's ruling against Duterte Youth. It presents solid constitutional and legal bases for cancelling Duterte Youth’s partylist registration, and enumerates the group’s violations of the law.

New information has also reached the Comelec about the Duterte Youth’s use of a false surname for its first nominee. I have written about this extensively in Rappler and Bulatlat, where I point out what is arguably acts of material misrepresentation and perjury that are prohibited by our election laws.

Comelec Chair George Garcia has said that the Comelec Law Department has written Duterte Youth to explain why its first nominee used a false surname in the partylist group’s Certificate of Nomination, and Certificate of Acceptance of Nomination. Both documents were supposedly sworn before a notary public, as required by law.