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).

At a news conference on Wednesday, Comelec Chair Jose Melo said the poll body would institute stricter rules in issuing certificates of accreditation to party-list groups seeking seats in the House of Representatives.

Citing the law, Melo reiterated that only groups representing marginalized sectors were allowed to take part in the party-list system.

He said there was now such a big number of party-list groups that “we cannot distinguish which among them really represent the marginalized sectors.”

“The party-list system is getting ridiculous,” he said, adding in jest: “Who knows, we may have a party-list group of reporters covering the Comelec next year.”

Preventing abuse

Melo said that in order to prevent the abuse of the party-list system, the Comelec was studying the possibility of requiring public disclosure of each group’s nominees.

He said the poll body might also require the groups to name their nominees on posters and other election paraphernalia, but that “it would be better if they do that voluntarily.”

He added, however, that the Comelec could only proclaim the winning party-list groups, and not the nominees.

According to Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, the law does not compel party-list groups to disclose their nominees.

“But the law does not say either that they cannot be required to do so,” he said.

Critics have assailed the Comelec for its purported failure to safeguard the party-list system.

They said this failure had allowed certain persons with questionable background—such as Ang Kasangga’s Marilou Arroyo, a sister of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband, and Bantay’s Jovito Palparan, a retired general suspected of ordering the killing of activists—to become party-list lawmakers.