Missed the boat

And for 2019, the party-list system has been gamed with termed-out legislators leaving the candidacy for the district seats to other family members while they invade the seats reserved for party-list representatives of socalled marginalized sectors. Imagine if 59 party-list seats are controlled by Family Inc. That would mean the edging out of the marginalized sectors, which were brought in courtesy of a Supreme Court decision in BanatvsComelec which opened the every administration, midterm has always been a zero-sum game. The difference being there is no coalition to speak of. It’s having three lists under Duterte and a well-placed OtsoDiretso for the momentary opposition. What makes otso relevant? Surveys show voters will vote, on average, eight candidates in the midterm. And the biggest political party in town did their Big Brother Otso very recently. Coincidence? Remember what a politician once said, “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, it was planned that way.”

The Otso Diretso line-up is composed of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, reelectionist Sen. Bam Aquino, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, civic leader Samira Gutoc, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and former Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada. The coalition is composed of several organizations, including the LP, Magdalo, Aksyon Demokratiko and Akbayan.

- KoTo), an HNP (under presidential daughter, Sara Duterte) list of 15 and a personal PRRD list of eight, the administration party is hard put to come up with a coalition for the midterms. What appears to be a coalition is that of HNP (a regional party) be-