Party List

Representative government is not a perfect system of government, and one of its salient imperfections is the elected representatives’ inability to accord priority to the needs and concerns of all those who elected them. As a result, some constituents consider themselves marginalized and calls begin to be made for steps to correct this systemic shortcoming.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has made sure that there is “pork” for every lawmaker in her proposed P1.541-trillion 2010 national budget.

Show business and media personalities have submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) their petition to run under the party-list system in the 2010 national elections, claiming to represent the interest of the industries’ mostly anonymous and low-paid workers.

tHE Commission on Elections says it will be stricter in screening all party-list groups before accrediting them to join the 2010 elections, citing a deluge of applications.

Nearly 200 party-list groups are now seeking accreditation to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the coming May 2010 polls.

More than 100 party-list groups have so far sought accreditation from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to enable them to participate in the 2010 national elections, but the Comelec expects the number to rise to surpass the 153 party-list groups that ran in the 2007 midterm elections.

MANILA, Philippines—Asked by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) what he plans to do with pork barrel funds, an aspiring party-list representative claiming to be a champion of migrant workers’ rights finally got to unveil his master plan.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has stopped a party-list group from sitting a representative in Congress.

MANILA, Philippines—The party-list system has become “ridiculous” and the groups running in the 2010 elections may be required to make public the names of their nominees, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would impose stricter requirements for the filing of certificates of candidacy by party-list groups.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) vowed yesterday to strictly screen the applications of groups seeking accreditation for next year’s party-list elections.

Militant lawmakers yesterday denounced a military raid last Sunday on a conference of party-lists in Cagayan Valley and immediately called for a House inquiry into the incident.

MANILA, Philippines – A female neophyte lawmaker from the Buhay party-list group of Bro. Mike Velarde’s El Shaddai is the richest sectoral representative at the House of Representatives.

MANILA, Philippines – Thirty-two new party-list lawmakers will get only half of the P70 million yearly allotment for members of the House of Representatives.

When the Supreme Court (SC) declares a law unconstitutional it is exercising its power of judicial review explicitly granted by the Constitution itself (Section 5 (2) (a) and (b) Article VIII). This does not mean judicial supremacy but merely the performance of a duty as part of the system of checks and balances (Dabuet vs.…

I can’t say I am ecstatic over the addition of more party-list congressmen as a consequence of the Supreme Court’s reading of the law.

CONFUSION: That the April 21 decision of the Supreme Court on the Party-List system of congressional representation sowed confusion is an understatement.

The likelihood of the Supreme Court reversing its ruling on a formula that raised the number of party-list representatives is far-fetched, Chief Justice Reynato Puno said yesterday.

EQUALIZER: It is clear from the confusion that followed the Supreme Court decision allowing 32 more Party-List groups to send congressmen to the House of Representatives that the PL system needs revisiting.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Joker Arroyo yesterday slammed the Supreme Court (SC) over its ruling that the party-list representatives are entitled to 55 seats in the House of Representatives.

SENATORS said yesterday the Supreme Court went beyond its constitutional bounds and engaged in “judicial legislation” when it upheld the validity of the election of 32 more party-list representatives.

On the eve of the swearing-in of the 32 new congressmen, the House of Representatives tossed to the Supreme Court the question of who among the 32 party-list nominees should be dropped from the roster of Congress members.

Cheers, boos greet Palparan MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Twenty-five of the 32 new partylist representatives took their oath of office before Speaker Prospero Nograles at the House of Representatives session hall on Tuesday.

The question is, who are the marginalized? What groups are considered under-represented? The Constitution says party-list seats shall be filled by election from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, “and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector.”

THE Supreme Court (SC) decision to allow more party-list congressmen to take office might cause more problems than gains, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said on Saturday.

MANILA, Philippines – Amid protests and condemnation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday proclaimed 32 new party-list groups, paving the way for the inclusion of a fourth Arroyo in the House of Representatives.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), convening as National Board of Canvassers, on Friday proclaimed 32 party-list groups to occupy congressional seats.

THE Supreme Court erred in its computation when it added 32 more party-list congressmen, exceeding the 250 limit set by the Constitution on the number of House representatives, House leaders said yesterday.

Contrary to Malacañang’s disingenuous statements, the Supreme Court decision in Banat vs Comelec came as a surprise to the administration. It flustered its coalition partners in the House of Representatives, and forced an unscheduled filing of a new, pro-Charter change resolution. And contrary to the instinctive reaction of many administration critics, the landmark ruling revising…

With the Supreme Court (SC) opening the door to more party-list members of Congress, former Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, known to militants as “The Butcher” and being a top nominee of his party, Bantay, won a seat and is expected to join Congress soon.