Abono party-list is now officially a member of the House of Representatives in the 20th Congress after Rep. Robert Raymond Estrella took his oath of office on Thursday, following a Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclamation.
During the plenary session on Thursday, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos moved to allow Estrella to take his oath before House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III, pursuant to Comelec’s proclamation.
‘We are in receipt of the proclamation issued by the Commission on Elections declaring Abono party-list as winner under the party-list system in the national and local elections on the 12th of May 2025, and to entitle its nominee, Robert Raymond M. Estrella, to sit as its representative in the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines,’ Marcos said.
‘Pursuant to the aforementioned proclamation, I move to allow Robert Raymond M. Estrella, representative of Abono party-list, to take oath in open session,’ he added.
Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan, who was presiding over the session, approved the motion after no objections were heard.
Three party-list seats are open for distribution after the Comelec en banc upheld a decision canceling the registration of Duterte Youth party-list.
‘The clerk of this Commission just issued today a certificate of finality and entry of judgment on the decision of the en banc [regarding the cancellation of Duterte Youth’s registration],’ Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said on Tuesday in an online interview with reporters.
According to him, the poll body en banc will hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the effects of the issuance of the certificate, particularly which party list groups will benefit from the three House seats originally allotted to Duterte Youth.
Garcia said the Comelec came out with the certificate of finality after the Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) within 30 days after the en banc upheld the cancellation of the party list group’s registration on August 29.
Duterte Youth won three seats in the 2025 midterm elections, ranking second with 2.338 million votes. However, the group was disqualified by Comelec based on the following grounds:
Untruthful statements in its petition, particularly on the eligibility of its nominees
No bona fide intention to represent the sector for which the petition has been filed and thus, preventing a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate
It has advocated for violence or unlawful means to achieve its goal
It was established that it is an adjunct or an entity funded or assisted by the National Youth Commission
With one seat being given to Abono party-list, two more seats will be made available for other groups. According to Garcia, Comelec will proclaim on Thursday the three representatives who will replace the Duterte Youth.