Party List

If you think party-list representatives are as poor as their marginalized constituents, better think again. Many party-list representatives are in fact even richer than some district congressmen.

(First of three parts) In 1998, the Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives or APEC decided to plunge into Philippine politics through the party-list elections. That year happened to be the first time that Filipino voters would be electing a party-list group, on top of an individual politician in their congressional districts, to the House of…

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MANILA, Philippines – A total of 185 party-list organizations have beaten the Friday midnight deadline imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to identify their nominees.

CHAVIT BROTHER, MIKEY, ANGIE REYES, EURO GENERAL SEEK PARTY-LIST SEATS The cat was let out of the bag yesterday after a total of 185 party-list groups submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday their list of nominees for the May 10 polls showing a long list of allies of President Arroyo.

For almost 100 years since the birth of the Philippine Republic on June 12, 1898, people didn’t have the benefit of having to vote for a party-list group that nominated sector representatives to Congress. Nonetheless the republic survived, although it did not necessarily progress, nor improve, nor prosper, politically.

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections has issued the rules on the qualification of candidates for party-list representatives, mandating that nominees prove they “belong” to the marginalized sector they seek to represent.

MANILA, Philippines—The absence of a law defining a “marginalized” sector is putting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in a legal and procedural dilemma.

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IDENTIFY YOURSELVES: By tomorrow, we should know which of the Party-lists running in the May 10 elections are just being used as Trojan horses of politicians and operators who cannot win a congressional seat on their own.

The following are the party-list groups that submitted their nominees to the Comelec as of March 23:

SKIP PARTY-LIST: Postscript presses its suggestion for voters to skip the Party-list part of the ballot on May 10 — if they are not sure FOR WHOM (referring to a person or nominee) they are voting.

Too many groups from the same sector means less chances of getting House seats MANILA, Philippines—While the intent of the introducing the party-list system 4 elections ago is to give smaller parties and organizations, including those of supposed marginalized sectors, the chance to send nominees to Congress, the rules governing the exercise are achieving the…

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MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) was asked yesterday to investigate six party-list groups for alleged links to President Arroyo.

MANILA, Philippines – An election watchdog group on Monday began its formal battle against purportedly bogus party-list groups by filing a complaint before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against six groups it said were government fronts and were actually headed by administration figures.

MARGINALIZED: The Commission on Elections has given some 185 Party-list groups until March 26 to submit their nominees for congressional seats. The nominees will be checked for qualification and their names published if they qualify.

COMMENTARY The EDSA dream of gradually transforming an elite and moneyed Congress into one truly representing the interests of the people through the party list system is fast turning into a gruesome nightmare as we approach the 2010 elections.

Sectoral representation in Congress first started with the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, and at that period in congressional history, the sectoral representatives were appointed by Marcos.

Stressing no one enjoys the monopoly of representing the marginalized sectors, presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo yesterday lashed back at party-list representatives who have been criticizing him over reports he is seeking a party-list seat in Congress, saying they too come from the privileged sector of the society.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said government appointees who will be chosen as nominees of party-list groups participating in the May 10 polls should also resign from their posts.

MANILA, Philippines – The height of hypocrisy and utmost arrogance. Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo scoffed yesterday at allegations of some party-list lawmakers that he is not from the marginalized sector.

MANILA, Philippines – Party-list groups joining the May 10 elections have until March 26 to submit their list of nominees, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

Still irked at having been declared persona non grata by the Davao City council, the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad) party-list and Bantay party-list Reps. Pastor “Jun” Alcover and Jovito Palparan, respectively, again hit hard at the city council members yesterday, charging that not only are council members sleeping with the enemies of the…

Two party-list congressmen who have been declared persona non grata by the Davao City Council recently cried political harassment from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte while at the same time they accused him of coddling communists and communist supporters and even supporting their candidacies.

Someday, when it finally becomes possible to amend the 1987 Constitution without the narrow considerations of personal and partisan interest, like term extensions, perhaps the people who get to do the amending will take a long, hard look at the party-list system. Far from being a means of guaranteeing “proportional representation” to marginalized sectors in…

Almost seven out of 10 Filipinos are unaware of the party-list system for Congress, results of a recent Pulse Asia survey showed.

MANILA, Philippines – Seven out of 10 Filipinos are still unaware of the party-list system, also known as sectoral representation, according to a Pulse Asia survey conducted in January.

Pulse Asia disclosed that fewer Filipinos know about the party-list system, with just a few months before the May 2010 national elections.

(Part II) Two “devilish” sayings come to mind when I think of the current state of our party list system. First, “the road to hell is sometimes paved with good intentions” and second, “the devil is in the details.”