Kabataan Party-list Representative Raoul Manuel took a strong swipe at former Duterte Youth Rep. Ronald Cardema on Saturday, accusing him of resorting to public “meltdowns” and misinformation campaigns to pressure the Commission on Elections (Comelec) into granting his group a congressional seat.
Manuel criticized Cardema for holding a press conference where he accused the Comelec of “unequal treatment” of party-lists with pending cases. Cardema questioned why others in similar situations were proclaimed earlier in the week, while Duterte Youth’s proclamation was put on hold.
Comelec had previously explained that the delay stemmed from unresolved issues, including a 2019 petition to cancel Duterte Youth’s registration. The petition challenges the legitimacy of Cardema’s nomination during that time—he was 34 years old, while party-list rules cap youth sector nominees at 30.
In a statement, Manuel said Cardema was “throwing tantrums and peddling disinformation to bully Comelec into giving them a seat in Congress.” He also condemned the group’s alleged double standards, pointing out how they supported President Marcos’ call for courtesy resignations among agency heads while simultaneously pushing for the president’s impeachment.
“All that just so the Comelec Chair [George Garcia] could resign. They would brown-nose as long as they could sit in Congress. Trapo hanggang dulo,” Manuel said, labeling Cardema and his allies as classic examples of traditional politicians.
Manuel argued that the real issue of “unequal treatment” lies in the Comelec’s past decision to let Duterte Youth participate in elections despite unresolved questions about their qualification.
“This is the real politicking; just because you’re named after or allied with powerful people means you could be beyond the law,” he added.
