Comelec to reject Youth Commission chair's bid to sub as party-list nominee

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Thursday it will not entertain the bid of Ronald Cardema, chairperson of the National Youth Commission, to replace his wife, Ducielle Suarez, as first nominee of Duterte Youth party-list.

“We have published rules on that, and the period of substitution has already elapsed,”  Jimenez told reporters.

Under Comelec rules, nominees can only withdraw from the race after November 30, 2018 but only involuntarily, meaning they can only be out of the race because of death or a disqualification stemming from case that has been rendered a final verdict.

In case the nominee dies or gets disqualified, he or she can still be substituted but only by a person whom he or she shares a surname with until midday of election day last May 13 of this year.

In its Facebook profile, Duterte Youth describes itself as a defender of President Rodrigo Duterte, the youth and the nation. Likewise, it also vowed to crush the criminals.

Jimenez confirmed the existence of the petition for substitution of nominee by the party-list group, but said he has not personally seen it.

He said he was not surprised of the move.

“Is this the first time? Not by a long shot. People do that all the time,” he added.

In a Facebook post Thursday, incumbent Representative Sarah Elago of Kabataan party-list bared that Cardema "filed today an application for substitution of  nominee for Duterte Youth Partylist, replacing his wife, Ducielle Marie Suarez Cardema."

"This is all the more reason we should go out and protest. He spoke and campaigned for Duterte Youth in his capacity as NYC Chair, used its public platform and resources, then made a last-minute substitution. Such a flagrant trapo move," Elago said.

Elago cited Section 18 of Comelec Resolution 3307-A which stated that, "A party-list nominee may be substituted only when he dies, or his nomination is withdrawn by the party, or he becomes incapacitated to continue as such, or he withdraws his acceptance to the nomination. In any of these cases, the name of the substitute nominee shall be placed last in the list of nominees. No substitution shall be allowed by reason of withdrawal after the close of polls."

"Comelec should dismiss this petition outright. It is disallowed under the rules, and is an obvious circumvention of the law. Comelec's independence will again be tested if they allow more mockery of the party-list system," Elago said.

GMA News Online sent a message to Cardema for his side, but has yet to get a reply. —LDF, GMA News