The party-list system is intended to promote marginalized representation in Congress, to give those sectors in Philippine society that do not have much economic or political clout a voice in the House of Representatives.
Under the party-list law (Republic Act 7941), the “marginalized” include sectors such as “labor, peasant, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, elderly, handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers and professionals.”
The past elections though have proven these categories to be by no means exhaustive. Indeed, we have seen some curious examples of marginalized representation in the party-list system, both in terms of nominees and the parties themselves.
In today’s 17th Congress, there are 46 old and new party-list groups representing the marginalized sectors. The biggest is Ako Bicol with three seats. It is supposed to represent the interests of Bicolanos. You have to wonder, though. How can Bicolanos be marginalized when it already has 16 congressional district representatives in the House—aside from Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo and four Bicolano senators (Antonio F. Trillanes IV, Francis G. Escudero, Gregorio B. Honasan II and Leila M. de Lima) serving in the other two main branches of government?
Migrante International, a migrant advocate group, recently filed an ethics complaint in the House against another party-list representative, ACTS-OFW’s Aniceto “John” D. Bertiz III, because of his alleged maltreatment of two overseas Filipino workers, ironically his very constituents.
Bertiz, who reportedly owns or at least owned a recruitment agency, was recently made infamous when a viral video showed him violating airport security protocol, and his sexist remark when he apologized for the said incident.
Among those seeking congressional seats in the 2019 polls under the party-list system are Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s brother Bobby Pacquiao (running as representative of the OFW Family Club), former Assistant Presidential Communication Secretary Mocha Uson (nominee of AA Kasosyo), Emily Alvarez (wife of former Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez, nominee of newly formed Metro party-list group) and former Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque Jr. (a nominee of Luntian Pilipinas, who was also at one time a party-list representative of another group, Kabalikat ng Mamamayan).
The richest congressman, multibillionaire Michael L. Romero, is seeking reelection as the nominee of 1-Pacman, another party-list group that supposedly represents the marginalized sector, which stands for One Patriotic Coalition of Marginalized Nationals, namesake of Manny Pacquiao, for obvious purposes.
Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. told the media during the filing of Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance at the Comelec office last week that the party-list law should be revised because there were too many aspiring and incumbent party-list representatives. He said he had prohibited other party-lists from running when he was the Comelec chairman, but they were eventually allowed by the Supreme Court.
Brillantes was referring to a 2013 decision of the Supreme Court, which ruled that groups, even political parties participating in the party-list elections, need not be marginalized for as long as they register under the party-list election and do not field candidates in the legislative districts.
Of course, Brillantes himself was at the Comelec to accompany former Rep. Gina P. de Venecia, who is the first nominee of Inang Mahal, a recently formed party-list group that is seeking Comelec accreditation, supposedly to represent the women sector.
But we agree with his point.
The Comelec should, indeed, judiciously investigate the qualifications of the party-list groups and their respective nominees for the 2019 elections, perhaps even overhaul the accreditation process itself. Congress should also amend the party-list law to strictly limit the sectors seeking accreditation, in order to uphold the main purpose of the party-list system.
While many want to be called marginalized, only a few should actually have seats in the House.