Party-list system — a difficult Comelec problem

COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Commissionner Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon called early this week for a stricter policy in the accreditation of party-list organizations seeking to represent marginalized sectors of the country in the House of Representatives.

“We have been very liberal with some groups. We are going to be strict,” she said. She was speaking in the wake of the case of former National Youth Commission Chairman Ronald Cardema who had sought last-minute accreditation (the day before the election) as the top nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list group. This would have required the resignation of the five listed nominees whose qualifications had all been investigated and approved by the Comelec. Guanzon’s division later rejected Cardema’s petition on the ground that he, at age 34, was not qualified in view of the age-limit of 30 for the youth sector in the party-list system.

The qualifications of nominees is only one of the issues raised about the party-list system. Probably the most common of these issues is that the partylist system has not enabled many marginalized sectors of Philippine society to be represented in Congress.

Article VI (Legislative Department) of the Philippine Constitution provides in Section 5(2) that “one half of the seats allocated to party-list representatives shall be filled, as provided by law, by selection or election from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and such other

sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector.”

This listing of these marginalized sectors of Philippine society would seem to indicate that they are the the principal reason for the party-list system. But it must be noted, first, that the constitutional provision also provides for “other sectors as may be provided by law” – sectors that congressmen and senators may deem fit to include. Second, these listed sectors are only half of the seats reserved for party-list representatives. There should, therefore, be no objection if some non-marginal sectors – such as business and industry, social and political groups – should run for party-list representative.

It has been noted, however, that in the recent elections, so many winners came from established political dynasties in the provinces, families which already had governors and mayors, congressmen and senators in office. It did seem as if the party-list position in the House was just another extension of their political power, achieved because they were the ones with the means to win elections.

We welcome Commissioner Guanzon’s call for a stricter policy in the accreditation of party-list organizations, although it is such a difficult move in view of the constitutional provision. We can only hope that more members of marginal groups will be elected as party-list representatives through better organization and support from civic and other high-minded groups with the means to spend for elections.