‘Comelec erred in de-listing Migrante as a party-list group’

An advocacy group for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) said Thursday that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) erred in barring it from participating in the 2010 party-list election.

Migrante International said the Comelec incorrectly interpreted the Party-list System Act in disqualifying it and 24 other groups from participating in the 2010 elections. In a ruling on Tuesday, Comelec commissioner sitting as full bench, said Migrante and 24 other groups can no longer participate in next year’s party-list race next year for failing to get two percent of the total party-list votes cast in the last two elections. [See: Comelec delists 25 party-list groups] The law provides that an applicant for the party-list elections can be disqualified if “it fails to participate in the last two (2) preceding elections or fails to obtain at least two per centum (2%) of the votes cast under the party-list system in the two (2) preceding elections for the constituency in which it has registered." The delisted party-list groups are as follows:

But the group’s Middle East regional coordinator, John Leonard Monetrona, said Migrante is not covered by the prohibition since it participated only in the 2004 elections and not in the 2007 mid-term elections. “Migrante Party-list decided not to participate [during] the May 14, 2007 party-list elections as we have concentrated our efforts then on strengthening our organizations abroad and at the home front with our OFW families and dependents," Monterona said in a press statement. Migrante urged the Comelec “not to be technical at all" with its interpretation of election laws. “Migrante Party-list should be allowed to participate because the organizations and chapters behind it, with presence around the world, have proven track records of advancing the rights and welfare of the sector it represents - the 10 million OFWs abroad and their families back home," Monterona averred. “It is a big blow to the OFWs and their families for genuine sectoral representation in Congress," said Monterona. “But (we) won’t easily give up this noble quest." - GMANews.TV