Cardema, 34, ‘not qualified’ as youth rep

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has affirmed a ruling that earlier disqualified Duterte Youth nominee Ronald Cardema from representing the partylist in the 18th Congress.

“All told, we give our stamp of approval to the findings of the Commission (First Division) that respondent is not eligible for nomination as the youth representative of Duterte Youth in the House of Representatives,” said the Comelec en banc in its nine-page resolution promulgated on Feb. 5.

The Commission said Cardema’s withdrawal of his motion for reconsideration “solidified the ruling in the Assailed Resolution that unmistakenly declared respondent as not eligible for representation of Duterte Youth in the House of Representatives.”

The resolution added: “Respondent, by his own voluntary act of withdrawing as the nominee of Duterte Youth, has finally accepted the decision of this Commission (First Division) that he is not eligible as a nominee of Duterte Youth, which decision is now final and executory.”

The Comelec First Division earlier declared Cardema as ineligible for being overaged.

Under the law, a youth sector party list representative must be between 25 to 30 years old. Cardema is 34.

Cardema’s camp responded by submitting a motion seeking a reversal of the Comelec First Division decision, insisting that he was not overaged since the Duterte Youth is a multisectoral party and not solely representing the youth.

He later withdrew this motion and his nomination as First Nominee of the partylist.