List-up ends; more party lists seen to run

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expecting more party-list groups to run in 2016 after the accreditation process was effectively “relaxed” by a Supreme Court (SC) ruling.

“That’s possible. If we’re not going to be that strict. You can imagine there would be a great deal more party-list organizations (participating),” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in an interview.

Friday is the deadline set by the Comelec for party-list groups to register and file their manifestation of intent to participate in the May 2016 elections.

According to Comelec Resolution No. 9366, organized groups that are not yet registered with the poll body should file a petition for registration under the party-list system.

On the other hand, groups already registered need not apply anew but should still file a manifestation of intent to participate in the party-list elections in May 2016.

The SC earlier ruled that the Party-List System Act did not require parties, organizations and sectors to be marginalized and underrepresented before they would be allowed to join the elections, and that even advocates of the marginalized and underrepresented sectors could become nominees and, therefore, get a seat in Congress.

With the SC ruling, the Comelec said the applicants only need to meet the requirements set by Republic Act No. 7941, such as having a constitution, by-laws, a platform or program of government, does not advocate violence and is not a foreign party, religious sect or denomination.

There were 178 party-list groups that ran in the 2010 elections. In 2013, the number went down to 114 after the Comelec adopted a stricter implementation of the accreditation process.

“In the last elections, we were very strict. We were very strict in the appreciation of rules, in our appreciation of their submissions. As a result, very few participated,” Jimenez said.

Prior to the SC ruling, the Comelec adopted ahead of the 2013 midterm elections an “automatic review” of party-list organizations to ensure that only the marginalized and underrepresented groups joined the party-list race.

But the commission decided to do away with the “automatic review” of the party-list organizations after the SC ruling in the Atong Paglaum party-list case of 2013.