Comelec: No decision yet on Cardema’s petition

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to decide on former National Youth Commission (NYC) chair Ronald Cardema’s petition for substitution as nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list, a high-ranking official of the commission said on Thursday.

Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon made this reaction to media reports quoting Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas that the poll body has already approved Cardema’s application.

“To my knowledge, the Resolution granting due course to Cardema’s application for substitution has not yet been promulgated and released,” Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon said in text message to media.

Guanzon tweeted her opposition to Cardema’s petition to represent the Duterte Youth which won a seat in the recent May 13 midterm polls.

“I have not signed a resolution about giving due course to Cardema’s application for substitution. But I will dissent,” Guanzon said in her Twitter account.

She said the Comelec has to tackle first the qualification of the 33-year-old Cardema.

“In the Certificate of Candidacy form of Cardema he stated that he is qualified. But is he not over 30 years old? Duterte Youth registered as a youth sector party list,” she explained.

“Can he substitute? Is Cardema qualified to be representative of Duterte Youth? That is not yet decided. There are oppositions filed. That has to be decided by the Comelec en banc,” she added.

Under the law, a nominee of the youth sector should be at least 25 years old but not more than 30 years of age on Election Day.

Cardema filed his petition for substitution on May 12 after his wife and Duterte Youth’s first nominee, Ducielle Marie Suarez, withdrew her acceptance to the nomination of the youth organization.

Cardema attended the proclamation of the 51 winning party-list groups by the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) Wednesday night at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.