Age limit may be applied to ‘young professionals’ nominee – Comelec execs

MANILA, Philippines — The policy on age limit for youth sector nominee can also be applied to a nominee representing “young professionals,” two commissioners of the Commission on Elections said Wednesday.

During the poll body’s en banc hearing on the petition seeking for the disqualification of Ronald Cardema as Duterte Youth party-list nominee, Commissioner Marlon Casquejo noted that the group did not define what constitutes a “young professional” thus, “young professionals” cannot be differentiated from the youth sector.

Millennials PH has filed the petition asking Comelec to cancel Cardema’s nomination to represent Duterte Youth party-list in Congress because his age is already beyond what is required by law to represent the youth sector.

READ: Petition filed vs Cardema’s party-list nomination

“You did not specifically define what is a young professional, so the qualifications for a [party-list] representative of the youth could also be considered the same for young professional,” Casquejo told Cardema’s lawyer Atty. Rani Angeli Supnet during the hearing.

“Since the age requirement for the representative of the youth sector is between 25 to 30 years old, the age requirement for the representative of a youth professional can also be 25 to 30 years old, correct?” Casquejo asked Supnet, who replied:“That presumption may rise.”

Supnet nevertheless insisted that while her client is not qualified to represent the youth sector, Cardema can still represent the “young professionals” which Duterte Youth party-list also represents.

This is because there is no age limit set by the party-list law for representatives of young professionals, Supnet added. 

But Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon cited the Amores vs. HRET case, in which the Supreme Court said a representative for the youth sector must abide within the age limit set by law, regardless whether the party-list group is a multi-sectoral one or represents various other sectors other than the youth.

“In Amores vs. HRET, the Supreme Court said the party-list representative of the youth sector must be 25 but no more than 30 years old,” Guanzon pointed out.

“Even if the party-list is multi-sectoral, as long as there is youth [representation] there, the Supreme Court plainly said that the age requirement [under the party-list Law] will apply here,” Guanzon added. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)