THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing the proclamation of the 64th party-list representative in the 20th Congress as early as next week.
Elections chairman George Garcia said the poll body’s Law Department and the Supervisory Group of the National Board of Canvassers have submitted their recommendations on the matter.
“There is a possibility that we will already be able to proclaim the 64th (party-list representative),” he said in an interview.
Garcia has earlier said a 64th party-list legislator will be proclaimed because the 63 seats allocated during the May 2025 elections was short of the required 20 percent party-list composition of the House of Representatives.
However, Garcia said the poll body will defer the proclamation in the event that the disqualification of the Duterte Youth party-list becomes final.
He said, though, that the Law Department and Supervisory Group have withheld their recommendation on who will replace the three nominees of the Duterte Youth group if the cancellation of its registration becomes final.
“The finality of the decision on Duterte Youth is still on September 30. Expect the Certificate of Finality to be issued after the finality on September 30,” he said.
The Comelec en banc has previously affirmed the cancellation of the registration of the Duterte Youth party-list. The group has since asked the Supreme Court to restrain the Comelec from implementing its decision to disqualify them.
