MANILA — The Commission on Elections en banc has rejected the bid of the Duterte Youth party-list to stop the substitution of former poll commissioner Rowena Guanzon as first nominee of the P3PWD party-list.

Acting Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the poll body approved the recommendation of its law department to deny the June 17 verified opposition filed by Duterte Youth.

Laudiangco cited the following grounds.

• Resolution 10717 provides for the rules prior to elections and not post-elections.
• Consistent with the 2019 case of Duterte Youth, the Commission en banc
• gave due course to withdrawals, substitutions and submission of new list of nominees after elections.
• Sections 8 and 16 of Party-List System Act allow the submission of additional nominees when the list of nominees had been exhausted.

Laudiangco also said the commission noted the compliance of P3PWD to the publication requirements. The new list of nominees was published by Topline News Publication on June 15 and People's Balita on June 17.

The Duterte Youth party-list, led by National Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema and wife Rep. Ducielle Cardema, filed a case last Monday against Guanzon in the Supreme Court to stop her substitution.

• Duterte Youth formally objects to Guanzon’s substitution

The party-list cited the following reasons.

• Violation of Comelec rules on the deadline of substitution
• Violation of the Graft & Corrupt Practices Act
• Violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees

The couple said P3PWD filed its new substitution documents way beyond the Comelec substitution deadline of Nov. 15, 2021 in cases of voluntary withdrawal, and beyond the added Comelec substitution deadline of May 9, 2022, election day, in rare cases of death or incapacity.

Guanzon, as a poll commissioner in 2019, blocked Cardema's own substitution bid on similar grounds.

• Guanzon files cyberlibel, unjust vexation raps vs NYC chair

RELATED VIDEO:

Watch more News on iWantTFC