Ban 6 ‘pro-admin’ party-lists, Comelec asked

Multi-sectoral poll watchdog Kontra Daya on Monday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to remove from its list six party-list groups that are allegedly supported by the Arroyo administration. The groups Kontra Daya wants de-listed are Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA), Adhikain ng mga Dakilang Anak ng Maharlika (ADAM), Agbiag Timpuyog Ilocano (AGBIAG), Babae para sa Kaunalara (BABAE KA), League of Youth for Peace and Development (LYPAD), and Kalahi Advocates for Overseas Filipinos (KALAHI). In a three-page letter to Comelec chairman Jose Melo, Kontra Daya said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her allies at the House of Representatives would only use these groups to gain control over the chamber. President Arroyo is running for congresswoman representing the second district of Pampanga in the May 10 automated elections.

“Ito ay mga party-list na ito... ay ginagamit lang at gagamitin ng mga kakampi ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo para makontrol ang House of Representatives (These party-list groups are just being used by the allies of the President to control the House of Representatives)," said Kontra Daya convener Fr. Joe Dizon, who led a rally in front of the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila. Marginalized vs pro-administration The Supreme Court, in a 2001 decision on the Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW Labor Party vs. Comelec, said that a party-list organization “must not be an adjunct of, or a project organized or an entity funded or assisted by, the government." It said that a party-list organization must be organized by a marginalized or underrepresented group of citizens independent of the government. Dizon said that BIDA declared in its own blog site that it is “the brainchild of Ephraim Genuino, chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)." BIDA was launched in 2003 as an anti-drug campaign for elementary school students with the help of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Department of Education (DepEd). In the case of AGBIAG, BABAE KA, LYPAD, and KALAHI, Dizon said the four groups were identified as “pro-administration" in a 2006 memorandum from the Malacañang Office of External Affairs. On the other hand, Kontra Daya said that ADAM's qualifications as a party-list group are “at the very least questionable," noting that its first nominee is Energy Undersecretary Zamzamin Ampatuan, nephew of former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., who is among the Ampatuan family members facing multiple murder and rebellion charges in connection with the Nov. 23 massacre in the province that killed 57 people. “Tingin namin ay hindi naging matalino ang pagsusuri ng Comelec kung sino ang mga iaaccredit at kung sino ang hindi (We think that the Comelec was not smart in determining what groups to accredit)," said Dizon. "Don't vote for them" Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who held a dialogue with the group, said that all the petitions for accreditation went through the poll body's Law Department. “They have been given opportunities to oppose these organizations' registration," he told reporters in an interview. He added that there is nothing much they can do since the groups being questioned have long been accredited. “If they don't want the party-list to win, don't vote for them," he said. But he said that they can still oppose the nomination of the party-list nominees whom they deem questionable, like presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, who is supposedly being eyed as the nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy party-list; and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, who is reportedly being considered by 1-United Transport Koalisyon as its representative. “They can file a petition," Larrazabal said, adding that the Comelec would release a list of nominees after nomination closes on March 26. Background check The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), meanwhile, urged voters to be careful in voting for party lists by examining the background of their representatives. “Party-list [system] now has deviated from the intention of the law, the spirit of the law ... so the real marginalized [groups] lose a chance to win," PPCRV Chairwoman Henrietta de Villa said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The PPCRV lamented many bogus party list groups will crowd out legitimate and deserving ones from a fighting chance to represent the truly marginalized. De Villa said such fake groups also serve as the backdoor entry for traditional politicians in the party-list system. “Invest some time and research on candidates that include the party list," she urged voters. - KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV