Bayan Muna happy with Comelec accreditation

MANILA, Philippines — Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Teddy Casiño on Tuesday said he saw no reason for their group not to be accredited by the Commission on Elections.

“We’re happy with the Comelec decision. Since 2001 we have been getting accreditation from the Comelec,” he told reporters during a chance interview at the House of Representatives.

Casiño assured Bayan supporters that their group is preparing for the upcoming midterm elections next year.

But Bagong Alyansang Makabayan  secretary general Renato Reyes was quick to slam Comelec’s granting of Akbayan Partylist’s accreditation alongside that of Bayan Muna. Bayan has earlier filed a petition to disqualify Akbayan from entering the elections.

He said that it was likely that Comelec affirmed Akbayan’s run for next year’s polls as it was “Malacañang’s favorite.”

But Akbayan Representative Walden Bello ignored taunts from Bayan, saying that they were “quite happy with the Comelec’s decision.”

He said that the Comelec must have based its decision on their track record at the House of Representatives.

Akbayan has earlier maintained that it was not involved in efforts to disqualify Bayan Muna and its affiliate partylist groups.