The Duterte Youth Party-List epitomizes all that is wrong in the party-list system—misusing the platform as a backdoor for the elite to occupy more government seats. It claims to represent the youth but has supported red-tagging against youth organizations instead of advocating for its supposed sector.

Electoral alliance Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-Asa filed a motion to revive the petition nullifying the group’s candidacy for material misrepresentation after the party knowingly nominated an unqualified representative. The case, however, has remained in limbo for nearly six years. 

Without reforms addressing foundational flaws, questionable groups like Duterte Youth will continue to exploit the party-list system under the pretense of inclusivity and sectoral representation.

Despite party-lists comprising only 20% of the lower chamber, these limited seats still end up co-opted by elites due to weak regulations. The Party-List System Act provides few restrictions for nominees, and a Supreme Court ruling in 2013 exacerbated this issue by reinforcing that nominees need not belong to the sector they supposedly champion.

As a result, misrepresenting sectoral advocacies became a popular strategy to gain access into Congress. This loophole has distorted the system into a springboard for nepotism, expanding the influence of dynasties like the Tulfo and Revilla clans. Corrupt parties continue to vie for seats in Congress, with 55% of nominees having dubious connections, including Duterte Youth. 

This perverts the original intent of Constitution’s framers, who designed the system as a platform for underrepresented sectors. Party-lists, however, cannot claim to be underrepresented when they have ties to ruling dynasties, and their principles align with administration-leaning politicians and parties.

With 80% of district seats essentially reserved for the elite, whose billions in campaign funds guarantee victory, seizing party-list seats could further skew policies toward personal interests. But a functioning democracy requires opposition to prevent the legislature from devolving into a rubber stamp committee.

The true opposition continues to serve both as an avenue for dissent and a voice for marginalized sectors. The passage of free tertiary education, for instance, was championed by the Kabataan Party-List, who lobbied the bill at the House. Other progressive party-lists like those in the Makabayan bloc have also consistently pushed for policies like wage increases and land reform to advance a pro-people agenda.

Sustaining these gains requires a party-list system that imposes stricter regulations against elite infiltration. But while legislative reforms face resistance from entrenched politicians, the responsibility first falls on the Commission on Elections to tighten its vetting process. This will reduce the number of deceitful candidates, ensuring party-lists who reach the ballot are legitimate representatives of their claimed sectors. And ultimately, upholding the system’s integrity entails collective vigilance in challenging groups that corrupt its purpose.

Without these efforts, the party-list system will be further manipulated into a tool for the very forces it was meant to counterbalance. Transforming it begins with heeding the petitions against misrepresentative parties—with the disqualification of Duterte Youth a necessary step toward achieving a legislature that reflects the people’s interests. ●

First published in the March 31, 2025, print edition of the Collegian.