Parteey!

April 24, 2007

When the three groups Kilosbayan Foundation, Akbayan and Bantay Katarungan Foundation filed a petition to the Supreme Court to direct the Commission on Elections to reveal the nominees of the accredited party-list groups, they were not being fractious.

When the three groups asked the Supreme Court to reverse the resolution of the Comelec last April 3 to deny their appeal for the poll body to reveal the names of party-list nominees, they were not being obstinate.

The Comelec said that revealing the names of the party-list would be contrary to law and

at first glance it might seem that way. Sec.7 of RA 7941 or the party-list law prohibits the Comelec from revealing the names of the party-list candidates but the last sentence, which states that “the names of the party-list nominees shall not be shown on the certified list,” proves crucial.

It doesn’t say the Comelec should not tell the public the names of the candidates, it just forbids the Comelec from printing the names in the certified list.  

Indeed, Sec. 2 of the same law directs that the State “shall develop and guarantee a full, free and open party system in order to attain the broadest possible representation of the party, sectoral or group interests in the House of Representatives.”

Wouldn’t concealing the name of nominees defeat the purpose of a full, free and open party system?

This is very important, especially in the light of reports that surfaced accusing Malacañang of taking advantage of the party-list system to muster more numbers in the Lower House to ensure the survival of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

We specifically refer to the alleged secret memorandum on October 16, 2006 addressed to the President informing her of the creation of the Office of External Affairs for Special Concerns Group (OEA-SCG). Apparently, the special concern of this office is to ensure the victory of its allied party-list groups this coming election.

The Garci tapes, in fact, had Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano discussing the chances of five party-list groups endorsed by Ms. Arroyo. Two of the five mentioned, the Veterans’ Freedom Party and Ang Laban ng Indiginong Filipino, won respective seats in the House of Representatives.

According to the law, the sectors that should be represented by the party-list groups shall include labor, peasant, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, elderly, handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers, and professionals.

A study of the partial list of backers and nominees of party-list groups accredited by the Comelec shows sons of powerful politicians, former police and military officials, a Department of Interior and Local Government undersecretary, Cabinet members, Pharmaceutical executives, anti-communists, a convicted child molester, a staunch advocate of Charter change and the brother of the Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos.

Makes you wonder just whose sector they represent and what interest they advocate other than their own.