Gabriela Women’s Party secured its seat in the 20th Congress not because of the disqualification of Duterte Youth, but due to the proper computation of party-list seats, Rep. Sarah Elago clarified on Thursday.
Speaking during a Makabayan bloc press briefing, Elago stressed that their win came from the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision to allocate 64 seats to meet the constitutional requirement of 20 percent representation for party-lists.
“Yes, it has nothing to do with the disqualification of the Duterte Youth party-list, but the 64th party-list seat, which was added for compliance with the requirement of 20 percent allocation of the party-list, required by the constitution,” she said, as quoted by Inquirer.net.
Elago emphasized that Gabriela’s proclamation was a victory for women and marginalized sectors. “This is also a victory against all attempts to silence women and remove their voice inside Congress,” she said in Filipino.
Gabriela was initially left out when only 63 seats were declared, but petitions filed by groups like Philreca urged the Comelec to recognize the 64th seat. The Comelec upheld this computation, allowing Gabriela to enter Congress.
While Duterte Youth supporters questioned Gabriela’s proclamation, Elago said their three seats—later voided by Comelec—were unrelated to Gabriela’s inclusion. Duterte Youth was disqualified over issues of nominee eligibility, misrepresentation, alleged advocacy of unlawful means, and ties to the National Youth Commission.
Elago also responded to efforts by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), which asked the Supreme Court to block Gabriela’s entry. She accused the task force of being “hell-bent on denying genuine representation of women” and vowed that Gabriela would continue pushing for women, children, and LGBTQIA+ rights inside Congress.
Gabriela, a progressive group often red-tagged by the government, has long faced petitions for disqualification. Elago, however, affirmed that they will not be silenced, saying their return to Congress is proof that their mandate from the people remains strong.
