45 party-list groups assured of House seats, so far – Comelec

MANILA, Philippines – Forty-five party-list groups, so far,  are assured of seats at the House of Representatives,  Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez said Wednesday.

Jimenez, however, said that a few more party-list groups could still earn seats as the Comelec is still finalizing computations.

“There are still a few that are undergoing computations whether or not they will make the final cut but we have so far 45,” Jimenez said in a press conference at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

“We now we have 45 party-lists that we know will be proclaimed and a couple more that might be added to that list subject to the computations to be finalized,” he added.

Among the 45 party-list groups assured to have seats in the House are

1. ACT CIS
2. Bayan Muna
3. Ako Bicol
4. CIBAC
5. Ang Probinsyano
6. One Pacman
7. Marino
8. Probinsyano Ako
9. Senior Citizens
10. Magsasaka

He did not yet specify the number of seats the said party-list groups will get.

Although the election body is still finalizing the list, the proclamation of party-list group winners will push through on Wednesday evening.

One hundred eighty one party-list groups are vying for the 61 available House seats.

A party-list group earns a seat in the House of Representatives if it gets at least two percent of the total party-list votes.

If a party-list group gets more than two percent, it may get more seats, up to a maximum of three, depending on percentages based on the total vote.

Should groups getting two percent of the party-list votes fail to occupy the available 61 seats, the remaining seats would be allocated to other groups according to their ranking.

Each group will be given one seat each until all the seats are filled.  (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)