Comelec asked to scrap new Duterte Youth nominees

MANILA, Philippines — Backed by former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes, five youths yesterday sought to block another attempt by former National Youth Commission chair Ronald Cardema to be a nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list group.

In a 17-page formal opposition filed with Comelec, through their lawyers Brillantes and Emil Maranon III, the petitioners asked the poll body to reject the second set of nominees filed by Cardema, Duterte Youth’s president, secretary general and chairman. 

The petitioners were identified as Ma. Jizelle dela Paz Valenzuela, Aunell Ross Angcos, Mark Daniel Bolima, Michael John Navarez and Hannah Denise Navarroza.

Cardema has named himself again as the party-list group’s first nominee wih his wife Ducielle Cardema as second nominee in a Certificate of Nomination filed last Aug. 6.

At the same time, Cardema had also submitted his Certificate of Acceptance and  Nomination (CONA).

According to Maranon, the “obvious motive of this second wave of mass withdrawal and substitution is to secure the congressional seat” for Cardema’s wife should the cancellation of his first nomination be upheld by the Comelec.

“In other words, this ploy was intended to secure and confine the congressional seat to either of the Cardema couple,” Maranon said.

Last May 12 or a day before the May polls, Cardema filed his first CONA, replacing his wife as the first nominee of Duterte Youth.

This CONA was cancelled by the Comelec’s First Division last Aug. 5 after he was found to be overaged to become a nominee of a party-list group that is registered to represent the youth sector.

The following day, Cardema filed the second CONA.

First Division Commissioner Rowena Guanzon has asked the poll body’s law department to study the possible cases that could be pursued against Cardema for “material misrepresentation” on his CONA.