The Philippine Online Chronicles

Since the first party-list elections were held in 1998, the number of party-lists vying for a seat in the House of Representatives has ballooned to 187, all of whom claim to represent the marginalized and underrepresented.

For years, peasants, workers, and other members of the poor majority have had a voice in Congress, which has traditionally been a bastion of the elite - mostly landlords and businessmen.

However, it is not all rainbows and sunshine for these party-lists and their representatives. While they struggle in their campaigns for a seat in Congress, they also have to contend with dubious groups and nominees, some of whom are backed by the administration and the Palace.

Life-and-death

In order to win seats, party-lists have to compete against a hundred others to win at least two percent of the total number of party-list votes in an election where more than half of voters have little or no awareness of the party-list system.

Moreover, it has become literally a life-and-death struggle for some party-list groups, whose members have become victims of extrajudicial killings, and whose leaders are targets of red-baiting and government-sponsored harassment.

Among the victims of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances since Pres. Gloria Arroyo came to power in 2001, many were members of party-lists organizations and groups that support them.

Source: http://www.karapatan.org/2009-HR-Report

On the other hand, some party-lists had to pass through the eye of a needle just to be accredited as candidates, as in the case of Ang Ladlad and the Disabled Pinoy Party. For the second time, Ang Ladlad, which represents gays and lesbians, was disqualified by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), and was only permitted to run after the Supreme Court reversed the disqualification.

Administration partylists

Ironically, the very same law that allowed farmers and workers to become representatives in Congress apparently ais also being used to grant the incumbent administration with the power to remain dominant in the Lower House after the expiration of Arroyo’s term.

This election, we are witnessing the proliferation of party-lists whose nominees have questionable claims of representation. It is appalling to see a president’s son, a former military top brass, and cabinet officials vying for the same seats against genuine party-lists.

One of the most controversial partylists, which has arguably highlighted the debate, is Ang Galing Pinoy, which claims to represent the interests of security guards. Its top nominee is no less than Presidential son and outgoing Pampanga representative Mikey Arroyo.

Unlike ordinary security guards, Mikey Arroyo’s net worth has ballooned by more than 1,600 percent in seven years, from P5.7 million in 2001 to P74.4 million in 2004, and then to P99.2 million in 2008.

After Arroyo, the group’s second nominee is Dennis Pineda, mayor of Lubao, Pampanga,and son of alleged jueteng lord Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda; withe third is Romeo Dungca, mayor of Bacolor, Pampanga. All three come from the province of Pampanga – a known Arroyo bulwark.

Election watchdog Kontra Daya has earlier filed a complaint with the COMELEC for the disqualification of six party-list groups which they described as “government fronts.”

According to Kontra Daya, the groups Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA), Adhikain ng mga Dakilang Anak ng Maharlika (ADAM), Agbiag Timpuyog Ilokano (AGBIAG), Babae para sa Kaunlaran (BABAE KA), League of Youth for Peace and Development (LYPAD), and Kalahi Advocates for Overseas Filipinos (KALAHI) were government-,sponsored.

The group noted that AGBIAG, BABAE KA, LYPAD,s and KALAHI were named in a confidential 2006 memo from the Office of External Affairs of Malacanang as “pro-administration” party-lists in the 2007 congressional race. The said memo also requested a budget of P5.5 million to cover the said groups’ campaigns.

Meanwhile, Kabataan Partylist described 38 party-lists as “Malacanang-backed.” They urged the COMELEC to review the accreditation of the said party-lists on grounds that they are not really for the marginalized.

According to Kabataan, the Arroyo allies bidding for party-list seats besides those mentioned above are Energy Sec. Angelo Reyes (1-UTAK), Education Sec. Jesli Lapus (A TEACHER or ABAKADA), Director of Labor and Employment Information and Publication Service Nicon Fameronag (AHON), former Muslim Affairs Executive Director Acmad Tumawis (ALIF), former Cong. Salacnib Baterina (APO), DILG Usec. Melchor Rosales (APOI), and Philippine International Trading Corp Usec. Teddie Elson Rivera (Aangat Tayo).

They also named A IPRA, APEC, AVE, BIYAHENG PINOY, BUTIL, COOP-NATCO, TUCP,, and the Veterans Freedom Party as pro-administration.

Meanwhile, BANTAY, ANAD, ARARO, 1GANAP/GUARDIAN, 1^st KABAGIS, AKSA, ANAK, and YACAP were described as having military links.

The incumbent representative of BANTAY is retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan who is labeled by human rights groups as “the butcher” and who has been implicated in many cases of human rights violations.

For former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, the resolution of the debate for COMELEC is simple: “follow jurisprudence.”

In Ang Bagong Bayani vs. COMELEC (June 26, 2001 and June 25, 2003) which was penned by Panganiban, the High Court ruled the party-list candidate must show— through its constitution, articles of incorporation, bylaws, history, platform of government, and track record—that it represents and seeks to uplift marginalized and underrepresented sectors.

The court also said “not only the candidate party or organization must represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors so must its nominees… who (must also) belong to marginalized and underrepresented sectors.”

“Surely the interest of the youth cannot be fully represented by a retiree; neither can those of the urban poor or working class, by an industrialist. To allow otherwise is to betray the State policy to give genuine representation to the marginalized and underrepresented,” said the decision.

Panganiban, however expected Arroyo and Angelo Reyes to ask the court to reverse its earlier decision, “after all, the Arroyo administration has shown its muscle in persuading the Court to reverse the half-century ban on midnight appointments.”

Arroyo’s lawyers have also questioned the power of COMELEC to look into the qualifications of party-list nominees as well as the poll body’s power to disqualify them.

While the debate continues in court and as the elections draws near, the basic problem of the controversy is clear to the petitioners for the disqualification of the “bogus” party-lists.

“These dubious party-list groups and nominees are crowding out the groups that genuinely represent the marginalized and underrepresented,” said Father Joe Dizon of Kontra Daya. “Exposing them is an important contribution to getting them out of the way.”

The official list of party-list nominees can be viewed here.