THE Duterte Youth party-List yesterday said Elections chairman George Garcia should heed President Marcos Jr.’s call for all Cabinet secretaries to submit their courtesy resignations, saying the resignation of the poll body head will help stop politicking in government agencies.
It said Garcia is covered by the order since his position is a secretary-level salary grade position.
“If this is true, the Comelec (Commission on Elections) chairman, even though (part of) a constitutional commission, should also resign because he is contributing to the politicking that is angering the people against Marcos who said he wants politicking to stop and focus on actions,” the Duterte Youth, which is currently represented by Drixie Mae Cardema in the House of Representatives, said in a statement.
The group has been at odds with Garcia, whom it blamed for allegedly stopping their proclamation as winners in the May 12 party-list race despite receiving the second most number of votes.
It accused the poll body of “political persecution.”
“Sa panawagan po ni PBBM today na lahat kayo mag-resign dahil sa pamumulitika, huwag na po kayo magdalawang isip, mag-resign na po kayo dahil nakakadagdag kayo ng milyon-milyong Pilipino na galit sa Marcos administration niyo dahil sa huli ninyong ginawa sa amin (About President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s call today for everybody to resign because of politicking, don’t have second thoughts. Just resign, because you are just adding to the anger of millions of Filipinos against the Marcos administration because of what you did to us),” the group said.
It pointed out that the group is the most voted party-list by OFW communities in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), England, France and other countries.
It also claimed that the more than a million Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members who attended a peace rally at the Luneta Park last year, and the more than a million Duterte supporters who attended former president Rodrigo Duterte’s miting de avance in 2016 are practically as many as the votes received by Duterte Youth in the last polls.
“Ganun karaming mga Pilipino sa bansa at sa buong mundo ang bumoto sa Duterte Youth party-list pero pinupulitika ni chairman Garcia ng Comelec (That’s how many Filipinos in the country and around the world voted for Duterte Youth party-list but it’s being politicized by chairman Garcia of the Comelec),” it said.
NOT COVERED
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco brushed aside the call of the Duterte Youth party-list, saying Garcia is not part of the President’s official family, thus, he is not covered by the order.
“The chairman is not a Cabinet member, and the Comelec is not a part of the Executive Department,” said Laudiangco, as he stressed that “the Commission on Elections is an independent constitutional commission directly accountable to and answers directly to the people of the Republic of the Philippines.”
Garcia made a similar statement, saying he is not included in the President’s directives.
“We are not covered by the memorandum issued by the President to the Executive Department,” Garcia said.
The Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvasser (NBOC), on Monday proclaimed the winning party-list groups except for the Duterte Youth, which won three seats after getting the second highest number of votes, and the BH Bagong Henerasyon, whose proclamations were suspended because of pending cases against them.
On Tuesday, the Duterte Youth asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Comelec’s suspension decision.
The petition for certiorari and prohibition filed by the group also includes an urgent request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction.
The militant Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list has earlier accused the Duterte Youth group of trying to blackmail Congress and the Comelec into proclaiming it despite the unresolved legal and procedural issues it is facing after its chairman, Ronald Cardema, threatened to expose alleged corruption in the polls if their group is not proclaimed.
Garcia said he understands where Cardema is coming from with his resignation call.
He reiterated, though, that the NBOC merely exercised its mandate and authority in suspending the proclamation of Duterte Youth.
“What the NBOC did is provide a temporary remedy in order to avoid prejudice to parties, prejudge the case, and preempt the disposition of the case,” he said.
“We hope they will also understand that what the NBOC did is an exercise of the authority of the Comelec,” he added. – With Gerard Naval
