Lack of existing election guidelines has allowed individuals to represent marginalized groups even if they do not belong to these sectors. This was admitted by a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official on Tuesday, the same day presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo was named as Ang Galing Pinoy party-list group’s first nominee. The party-list group claims to represent security guards.
Although a Supreme Court case — Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW vs. Comelec — indicates that nominees must represent marginalized and underpresented sectors, it remains unclear what this means, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento told reporters on Tuesday. "Siya ba ay advocate or siya ba ay isa sa kanila. Walang existing guidelines, ganun ka-general yung ating batas (Is he an advocate or is he really one of them. There are no existing guidelines, that's how general our laws are) through the years," Sarmiento said. Also on Tuesday, the El Shaddai-backed Buhay Hayaan Yumabong (Buhay) party list also chose its leader Bro. Mike Velarde as its fifth nominee. The party-list group likewise nominated the religious leader's son Mariano Michael as its first nominee. In 2007, Buhay gained the top spot in the party-list race after it received 1,169,165 or 7.4 percent of the total votes, giving them three seats in Congress. The Party-list System Act (Republic Act 7941) defines the party-list system as "a mechanism of proportional representation" in the election of representatives to the Lower House. Under the law, qualifications of party-list nominees are the following:
- they must be natural born citizens of the Philippines
- they must be registered voters
- they must be residents of the Philippines for at least one year
- they must be able to read and write
- they must be bona fide members of the party which they seek to represent for at least 90 days before the elections
- they must be at least twenty-five years old on the day of the election.
If a nominee is from the youth sector, he must be at least 25 years old but not more than 30 years of age on the day of the election.
Fine-tuning party-list election rules The poll body plans to “fine-tune" these criteria and include them in regulations it plans to issue soon, Sarmiento said. "This creates a lot of questions," he said. “We're making an effort to fine-tune all these guidelines for the guidance and satisfaction of the public." The plan involves clearly indicating whether a nominee must be a true member and not just an advocate of a marginalized sector. "
Ito ang pagkakataon na malinaw yan... Comelec ang nagiging target of criticism (This is our chance to clear things up because the Comelec is becoming the target of criticisms)," he said. "With these guidelnes
nakikita ko (I see that it) will help purify our party-list system of representation," he added. The Comelec accredited 187 party-list organizations for the May automated polls. The deadline for the filing of nominees is on Friday. Earlier, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo admitted that the poll body is unable to thoroughly screen the nominees, only party-list groups. However, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal clarified that if a person wishes to have a nominee disqualified, he or she can file a petition.
Some party-list groups supported by Malacañang On Tuesday evening, the Kabataan party-list group through its second nominee Mark Louie Aquino urged the Comelec to investigate and review the accreditation of party-list groups which it claims are supported by Malacañang. “The people behind these…party-list groups are all Arroyo allies," Aquino claimed, citing an Office of External Affairs (OEA) memo. The memo indicated “participation of Malacanang’s grassroots and allied NGOs (non-government organizations) and people’s organizations in the 2007 congressional race" to counter and lower the number of votes for progressive party-list groups, Aquino said. These party-list groups reportedly are:
- BABAE KA
- LYPAD
- KALAHI
- AGBIAG
- ABONO
- KASANGGA
- AGING PINOY
“We urge the Comelec to review their accreditation on grounds that they are not really for the marginalized and that they are clearly violating the guidelines clarified by the Supreme Court," Aquino said.
Party-list group also expresses alarm Meanwhile, another party-list group representing indigenous peoples — KATRIBU Partylist — also expressed alarm over the public endorsement of Abante Tribung Makabansa (ATM) by Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on Mindanao and chair of the newly-created Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). ATM was formed by the Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Conference for Peace and Development (MIPCPD), whose Council of Advisers reportedly include Dureza, Energy Sec. Angelo, Reyes and Army Col. Allen Capuyan, KATRIBU said in a separate statement. “We fear that the Arroyo administration is capitalizing even on the marginalized condition of indigenous peoples by investing on certain party-list groups. It is deplorable that many of the President’s appointees and relatives are all over the partylist system," lamented Beverly Longid, KATRIBU Chairperson.
- with Kimberly Jane T. Tan, RJAB Jr./JV, GMANews.TV 
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