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Probe 38 ‘admin-backed’ party-lists, Comelec urged


(Updated 8:13 p.m.) The Kabataan party-list group on Wednesday trooped to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Manila to ask for an investigation and a review of the accreditation of 38 party-list organizations supposedly being supported by the Arroyo administration. "The people behind these 38 party-lists are all Arroyo allies. Some of them are party-lists included in the 2007 Office of External Affiars (OEA) memo while others are being fielded by cabinet members and known allies of the Arroyo administration," said Kabataan spokesman Mark Louie Aquino, the group's second nominee in the May polls. Aquino said the following party-list groups were identified as "pro-administration" in a 2006 memorandum released by the Malacanang OEA: 1.) BABAE KA 2.) LYPAD 3.) KALAHI 4.) AGBIAG 5.) ABONO 6.) KASANGGA 7.) AGING PINOY Controversial nominees Abono Party-list will be fielding Jacky Lomibao, wife of former national police chief Arturo Lomibao, as one of its nominees, while Ang Galing Pinoy listed presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo as their first nominee. Ang Galing Pinoy listed as its second nominee Dennis Pineda, son of former provincial board member Lilia Pineda, a known ally of the Arroyo administration who has a pending electoral protest against incumbent Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio for the 2007 gubernatorial race. For its third nominee, it listed Bacolor Mayor Romeo "Buddy" Dungca, one of the 17 mayors who broke away from the Lapids who ruled Pampanga in the past and moved to the President's then Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) in 2006. 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. Palace defends Malacañang, meanwhile, defended the nomination of Rep. Arroyo, saying it is allowed under the Constitution. At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo noted that the Arroyo family is not the only political family in the country “with multiple people in the legislature." “Let us not focus on one family. We have brother and sister in the Senate [referring to Sens. Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano], we had mother and son in the Senate [ex-Senator Loi and current Sen. Jinggoy Estrada], and we have a sitting senator whose son is running for the Senate [Rodolfo and Rufino Biazon]," he said. “If we are going to go into this, let us just not focus on one family. Let us look at all of them and ask each one of them what message they are sending. It is rather unfair to single out one family," Saludo added. Press Secretary Crispulo Icban Jr., for his part, said it is “a natural thing for a family with exceptional individuals to try to be in office through elections." Dubious associations Aside from these groups, Aquino enumerated other party-list organizations with supposed "dubious associations" with the Arroyo government. Included in them are: 8.) 1-UTAK 9.) 1GANAP/GUARDIAN 10.) 1ST KABAGIS 11.) A IPRA 12.) A TEACHER 13.) ABAKADA 14.) ADAM 15.) AHON 16.) Ang Galing Pinoy 17.) AKSA 18.) ALIF 19.) ANAD 20.) ANAK 21.) APEC 22.) APO 23.) ARARO 24.) ARC 25.) APOI 26.) Aangat Tayo 27.) AVE 28.) BANAT 29.) BANTAY 30.) BIDA 31.) BIGKIS PONOY 32.) BIYAHENG PINOY 33.) BUTIL 34.) COOP-NATCO 35.) KAKUSA 36.) TUCP 37.) Veterans Freedom Party 38.) YACAP Aquino said that several administration allies are being eyed as nominees of these party-lists, namely Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes (1-UTAK), Director of Labor and Employment Information and Publication Service Nicon Fameronag (AHON), former Muslim Affairs Executive Director Acmad Tumawis (ALIF), Interior and Local Government Undersecrtary Melchor Rosales (APOI), Philippine International Trading Corp Usec. Teddie Elson Rivera (Aangat Tayo), and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chair Ephraim Genuino (BIDA or BIGKIS PINOY). Former Cong. Salacnib Baterina has been formally nominated by APO. The Kabataan spokesman said that other "pro-administration" party-lists include A IPRA, APEC, AVE, BIYAHENG PINOY, BUTIL, COOP-NATCO, TUCP, and Veterans Freedom Party. He added that some party-lists also have links to the military, namely BANTAY, ANAD, ARARO, 1GANAP/GUARDIAN, 1st KABAGIS, AKSA, ANAK, and YACAP. Because of this, Aquino said that the 38 party-list groups are violating a Supreme Court ruling that disqualified Mamamayang Ayaw sa Droga (MAD) in 2001. In its decision on that case, the court 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. Voters have final say While admitting that the poll body does not have clear guidelines on the nomination of party-list nominees, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said it is now up to the voters to decide who will be elected into the House of Representatives. “Let the people decide. Filipinos are smart. Let the people be the judge. They cannot go wrong when the people are the ones who judge," Melo told reporters in an interview. He acknowledged that some nominees, including third-term congressman, are using the party-list system to bend the electoral system. “That's another way of circumventing the constitional provision against a three-termer... It’s part of the game," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV
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