House party-list coalition accepts Cardema as member

Former National Youth Commission (NYC) chair Ronald Cardema arrives at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) for the proclamation of party-list groups. INQUIRER.net photo / Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines — A coalition in the House of Representatives has accepted former National Youth Commission (NYC) Chair Ronald Cardema as their member, the group’s president said Thursday.

“For us, we already accepted the membership of congressman Cardema as member of the PCFI [Party-list Coalition Foundation, Inc.],” 1-Pacman Rep. Michael Romero said on the sidelines of their meeting with aspiring House Speakers of the 18th Congress at the Marco Polo Hotel, Ortigas.

Cardema, who attended the general assembly, filed for substitution after the nominees of Duterte Youth, including his wife Ducielle, withdrew their nomination. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to issue a decision on his substitution bid to the party that won one seat in the May 13 midterm elections.

READ: Don’t celebrate just yet, Comelec offical tells Cardema | Guanzon to oppose Cardema substitution as Duterte Youth nominee

Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., a member of the party-list coalition, meanwhile, said they would leave the matter to the Comelec.

“I think that will be properly addressed by the Comelec,” he said.

Cardema was highly criticized when he asked President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an Executive Order withdrawing the government scholarships of “all anti-government scholars,” specifically those students who are “allied with the leftist CPP-NPA-NDF, a terrorist group that is trying to overthrow the Philippine Government and killing our government troops.”

Cardema, who headed the “Duterte Youth” group before he was appointed by the Chief Executive as chair of the NYC in August 2018, also asked officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Citizen’s Army Training (CAT), among others, to report scholars who are supposedly linked to the communist movement.

Poll watchdog Kontra Daya earlier demanded Cardema’s resignation as NYC chair due to alleged “conflict of interest” and “use of government funds and resources” because his wife was the first nominee of the Duterte Youth party. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)

READ: Probe NYC, Duterte Youth for use of gov’t funds, conflict of interest — poll watchdog