3 party-lists file multiple sets of nominees

By SHEILA CRISOSTOMO and MAYEN JAYMALIN

Three party-list groups filed different sets of nominees during the submission of their certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONA) to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the May 2019 polls.

These are the Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines (Senior Citizens), Acts-Overseas Filipino Workers Coalition of Organizations and Murang Kuryente partylist groups. For the Senior Citizens, Francisco Datol, Milagros Magsaysay and Godofredo Arquiza, all of whom claim to be the group’s president, submitted their respective CONA as first nominees in separate lists. ACTS-OFW also has different first nominees based on Comelec records – current Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III and Feliciano Adorna Jr.

On the other hand, two Murang Kuryente factions named Armando Diaz and Antonio Paredes as their respective first nominees.

According to Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, they will study the positions of each of the groups to determine which of them should be included in the ballots. “As you know, when you let the lawyers argue, all look like and sound like they are correct. So we have to look at the history and documents,” she said yesterday.

Guanzon noted that having factions may not work well for the party-list organizations because it will leave the voters confused about who will represent them at the House of Representatives.

“Imagine the voters not knowing who is going to sit there in the party-list. It’s, in a way, unfair to voters. So it has to be clear because the right to choose representatives must be based on correct and accurate information,” she added.

Stop system exploitation

Meanwhile, election watchdog Kontradaya dared the Comelec to disclose its actions to prevent the rich and powerful from exploiting the party-list system “at the expense of the marginalized in whose name the law was made.”

“For example, what has the Comelec done to prevent past reports of party-list groups for sale?” Kontradaya said in a statement. “To this day, many nominations in the party-list system have become a matter of political expediency and do not appear to require actual membership and track record of advocacy,” Kontradaya said, noting that the group has been campaigning against fake party-list groups since 2007.

According to Kontradaya, what was supposed to be an opportunity for the marginalized has become a travesty. The group said the situation further worsened due to the Supreme Court (SC)’s decision allowing party-list nominees to run even if they do not belong to the sector they claim to represent.

A study conducted by Kontradaya two years ago showed that the high court’s decision on the qualification of party-list nominees along with very lax Comelec guidelines are to blame for the rise of political dynasties in the partylist system. Kontradaya cited the case of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who initially announced being first nominee for Luntiang Pilipinas party-list, but later decided to run for senator under the People’s Reform Party (PRP).

Kontradaya said the party-list system is not just a backdoor for the rich and powerful to enter Congress but has become some kind of fallback for them.

Guanzon said the selection of a party-list’s nominees is beyond the control of the commission.

Political parties can join

As this developed, two ranking party-list lawmakers in the House reminded Guanzon yesterday that no less than the SC had sanctioned the participation of political parties during elections every three years.

Reps. Alfredo Garbin Jr. and Rodel Batocabe of party-list group Ako Bicol said the Comelec official should acknowledge the provisions stated in the Party-List Law, or Republic Act 7941.

“Commissioner Guanzon, being a lawyer, must abide by the ruling because all SC decisions form part of the law of the land. She should focus more on the strict implementation of RA 7941 or the Party-List Law,” Garbin said.

“As correctly put out by the SC, it does not require nominees of party-list groups to belong to the marginalized sector, as the same was the real intent of the framers of the 1987 Constitution,” Garbin, who is seeking reelection, explained.