THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday gave the go signal for the proclamation of Eric Yap as the congressman of the lone district of Benguet province.
This after the poll body issued the certificate of finality and Entry of Judgment on the ruling of the Comelec Second Division, which dismissed the disqualification petition filed by one Franklin Tino.
It noted that Tino did not appeal the division’s decision and there is no restraining order from the Supreme Court.
The Second Division on June 26, 2025 dismissed Tino’s petition for being “inherently deficient” and due to lack of merit. It likewise the petitioner for using the poll body as a venue for “fishing expeditions or trial by innuendo.”
The division then lifted the suspension of proclamation imposed against Yap, and directed the Provincial Board of Canvassers of Benguet to reconvene and proclaim him as the duly elected winner of the May 12 congressional race in the province.
Tino had alleged that Yap’s parents are not Filipino citizens, and that Yap allegedly falsified his birth certificate and Philippine passport to make it appear that he is a Filipino citizen when he is actually not.
Meanwhile, the Gabriela Women’s party-list yesterday urged the Comelec to decide immediately on the case of the Duterte Youth group.
In a statement after gathering in front of the Comelec head office in Intramuros, Gabriela asked the poll body to already resolve the disqualification case pending against Duterte Youth.
“Gabriela calls upon Comelec to uphold electoral integrity and constitutional mandates by immediately disqualifying fake party-lists like Duterte Youth,” said Gabriela secretary general Clarice Palce, stressing that disqualifying the group is imperative as they only serve as “extensions of traditional politicians and big businesses.”
“(They are) fake and elite-backed party-lists that masquerade as representatives of the people,” she also said.
Palce said that once Duterte Youth is disqualified, the Comelec should then proclaim Gabriela.
“(They must) urgently proclaim the Gabriela Women’s party as the 20th Congress opened with a constitutionally deficient number of party-list representatives,” she said.
Gabriela placed 55th in the May 12 party-list race after getting 256,811 votes.
However, only the top 54 party-list organizations were able to secure votes enough to earn seats in the House of Representatives.
Of the top 54 party-list groups, 53 have already been proclaimed by the National Board of Canvassers.
Duterte Youth, which placed second with 2,338,564 votes, has yet to be proclaimed and was even stripped of its registration by the Comelec – Second Division last June 18. The group has filed a motion for reconsideration.
