LP opposes NP-NPC application as dominant minority party

The Liberal Party (LP) has opposed the petition for registration and accreditation of the Nacionalista Party (NP) – Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) Coalition (NP-NPC Coalition) as the dominant minority party in the May 2010 elections. In a 21-page petition, the LP said the Comelec should outright dismiss the NP-NPC Coalition’s application because it is not a duly registered coalition at the time of the filing of their petition for accreditation. "The out-of-order petition filed by this imaginary ‘coalition’ scorns both the political party system and the electoral exercise, and sidelines the Filipino people’s rights," the petition, signed by lawyers Jose Anselmoo Cadiz and Jose Amor Amorado, said. LP, NP-NPC Coalition, and the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) are all vying for the poll body’s nod to become the dominant minority party in May, entitling one of them to the sixth copy of the election returns (ERs). Both the NP and NPC are registered as individual political parties with the Comelec, but the LP said the coalition was formed only last January 28, six months after the deadline for registration of political parties – which fell on Aug. 17, 2009. "It is beyond doubt that the supposed NP-NPC Coalition is not a registered political party. It is therefore not qualified to file a petition for the accreditation for the dominant minority party status," it said. It further said the coalition was only formed to meet the poll body’s requirement that the dominant minority party field the most number of candidates in the national and local elections. LP will be fielding 7,945 candidates in the May polls with Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III as the standard bearer while NP will be fielding 7,393 and NPC 3,435 with Senator Manuel “Manny" Villar (NP) as its presidential bet. The poll body will be holding a hearing of the opposition filed by the LP next week. Meanwhile, administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD has likewise filed a petition for accreditation as the dominant majority party, which is entitled to the fifth copy of the ERs. Lakas-Kampi claims to have a total of 10,418 incumbent members. Republic Act 9369 or the amended Poll Automation Law requires the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to print 30 copies of the ERs, which indicate the election results at the precinct level. - Kimberly Tan/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV