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Palace keeps distance from row over Mikey's party-list group


Amid growing criticisms, Malacañang is still keeping its distance from the controversy involving presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo’s designation as a nominee of a prospective party-list group. Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said any intervention would be "unfair" to those who nominated Arroyo to represent Ang Galing Pinoy, a party-list group supposedly representing tricycle drivers and security guards. "Hindi ang Palasyo [ang] pwede[ng] makapagsalita at makapagsabi kung sino ang dapat piliin ng mga security guard o kung sino pa mang party-list. Sila ang may kapangyarihan diyan. Wala tayong maibibigay na puna sino ang piliin ng alin mang party- list (It is not the Palace’s place to comment on who security guards should pick as party-list representative. It is up to the security guards. We cannot tell them who to pick)," Saludo said in an interview on dzXL radio. Saludo said the Palace also cannot accommodate its critics by urging Arroyo — eldest son of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo — not to accept his nomination. "Di rin namin masabi sa taong napili na, 'hoy huwag mo tanggapin yan.' Pakikialam na yan, huwag tayo makialam sa pagpili ng representative ng party-list at sa pagtanggap o di pagtanggap ng hinihirang nila (We cannot tell the representative not to accept the nomination. That would be interfering)," he said.


He said the 1987 Constitution itself gives party-list groups the right to choose who will represent them. "Yan maliit na partido na ang kinakatawan ay bahagi ng lipunan na walang tinig sa ating lehislatura (The party-list groups are meant to represent the marginalized sectors of society in Congress)," he said. Malacañang on Wednesday defended the nomination of Arroyo, saying it does not violate the Constitution. The following day, two left-leaning lawmakers moved for the disqualification of Arroyo as a nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy. [See: Mikey disqualification as party-list bet sought] In a seven-page petition, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify Arroyo, saying: "[Mikey] cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be considered a member of the marginalized sector and no logic can ever justify his nomination to represent Ang Galing Pinoy or any party-list for that matter." Both Ocampo and Maza are running for senator in the May 10 elections under the Nacionalista Party (NP) banner. Also on Thursday, the Comelec issued a resolution requiring all party-list groups to to present proof that they "belong" to the marginalized sector they claim to represent. [See: Nominees required to show proof they belong to partylists] The new guidelines also require nominees to be capable of contributing to the "formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will benefit the nation as a whole." Comelec chairman Jose Melo had said that he personally wants nominees who can "properly represent" the sector in the House of Representative and who can translate their concerns into bills. — RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV
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