MANILA, Philippines – The period for replacing a candidate in the May 13 elections is over, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Friday after Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema reportedly moved to replace his wife as nominee of Duterte Youth party-list.
Cardema’s wife Ducielle Marie Suarez is Duterte Youth’s first nominee while another relative, Elizabeth Anne Cardema, is the group’s fifth nominee.
“The period for substitution has already lapsed,” Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said in a press briefing.
Jimenez, who admitted not seeing the petition himself, noted that the poll body would still look at Cardema’s petition.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Kabataan party-list Rep. Sara Elago said Cardema’s petition is illegal.
Citing Comelec Resolution No. 3307-A, Elago noted that a party-list nominee can only be substituted “when he dies, or his nomination is withdrawn by the party, or he becomes incapacitated to continue as such, or he withdraws his acceptance to the nomination.”
Former Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, meanwhile, also stressed that a party-list nominee can’t be replaced by just anyone as the succeeding nominee will automatically come in place of the one who left.
“You cannot replace just one nominee. Meaning, if the 1st nominee resigns, it’s the 2nd who takes over the 1st spot, 3rd becomes 2nd, etc.
You cannot replace just one nominee. Meaning, if the 1st nominee resigns, it’s the 2nd who takes over the 1st spot, 3rd becomes 2nd, etc.
The new entering nominee starts at the bottom.. at no. 5.@radyocomelec @COMELEC @jabjimenez #AskGoyo https://t.co/yIyHKGlb70— Gregorio Y. Larrazabal (@GoyoYLarrazabal) May 16, 2019
Cardema was appointed as chairperson of the National Youth Commission (NYC) in 2018.
He recently drew flak after he asked President Rodrigo Duterte to revoke the scholarships of “anti-government” students.
Cardema also urged officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Citizen Army Training (CAT), among others to report scholars who are supposedly linked to communist groups. (Editor: Gilbert s. Gaviola)
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