Regional group tops 13 party-lists seen getting guaranteed House seats

THE AKO BICOL Party (AKB) has snatched the top spot from the militant Bayan Muna among 13 party-list groups likely to secure at least one seat at the House of Representatives, a final BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations (SWS) Pre-Election Survey showed.

The poll, conducted last May 2-3, showed the AKB with the support of 5.64%, followed by the Buhay Hayaan Yumabong (Buhay) — up from fifth in the survey last April 16-19 — with a score of 5.11%.

Bayan Muna fell to third place with 5%.

Rounding up the list of 13 groups likely to get at least one congressional seat are:

* Akbayan Citizens Action Party (Akbayan), 4.62%;
* Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines (Senior Citizens), 4.07%;
* Gabriela Women’s Party (Gabriela), 3.85%;
* Cooperative-National Confederation of Cooperatives (COOP-NATCCO), 3.48%;
* 1st Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy (1-CARE), 3.23%;
* Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment through Action, Cooperation, and Harmony towards Educational Reforms (A Teacher), 3.12%;
* Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP), 2.94%;
* Abono Party List, 2.75%;
* Butil Party List (Butil), 2.35%; and
* An Waray Party-list (An Waray), 2.16%.

Of the 57 maximum seats reserved under the party-list system, guaranteed slots go to those obtaining 2% of the vote. The remainder will be allocated to the above parties and those next in rank until all are distributed, on condition that any qualifier is entitled to just three seats.

Based on the latest survey, 26 other groups are possible qualifiers for at least one slot using a new computation — based on an April 21, 2009 Supreme Court ruling — of the distribution of available party-list seats, the SWS said. –Businessworld