32 groups fighting for inclusion in party list

THIRTY-TWO party-list organizations remain unrecognized by the Commission on Elections because of unresolved cases, less than three weeks before the May 10 polls, the commission said Tuesday.

The groups have pending motions with the commission en banc or have elevated the cases to the Supreme Court, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

The groups include 1-Net, Aasca, Abba-Ama, Abo, Acma, Acts, AK, Akap, Akap-Tao, Aki, Alna, Alum, Ang Minero, Ang Pader, Ang Samaka, Ang Trabahante, Ang Tsinoy, Apela, AS, Avpap, Awat, Bida (Binigkas), Damayan, Emanuel, FFW, Nccp, PFP, Sagip, Ucap, UFS, Unlad Pilipinas and Aksi.

Votes for unaccredited party-list groups would be deemed as stray votes that would be tallied as the Precinct Count Optical Scan machines were not programmed to know which party list is registered, Jimenez said.

The commission would then set aside such votes and pull these out in the event that the party-list group gets accredited after May 10.

There are 187 party-list groups printed on the May 10 ballots, but poll body accredited only 155 including Ang Ladlad, which represents homosexuals.

On Nov. 11, the Comelec Second Division denied the accreditation of Ang Ladlad saying the promotion of homosexuality is immoral.

The group filed a motion for reconsideration to the Supreme Court, which ruled after two months that the group had all the requisites of a party list and should be included in the May 10 elections. –Joel E. Zurbano, Manila Standard Today