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This month, we have seen the disqualification of three party
list groups of Makabayan bloc by the Comelec for flimsy technical reasons.
Manggagawa Party-List representing the workers, migrant workers and their families, the public
transport drivers and the urban poor, was disqualified for
failing to prove that it does not receive funds from the government.
Aksyon Health Workers
Party-List, meanwhile, was disqualified for failure to prove that they belong
to the marginalized sector. Aksyon Health Workers represents health workers
from the private and the public sectors. The Comelec also dismissed the petition
for registration of the People’s Surge Party-List, which represents victims of
disasters.
On the other hand, party-list
groups with highly questionable credibility and advocacies, billionaires whose
party-list groups claimed to be for the marginalized never spoke against
anti-poor policies, were allowed by the Comelec to participate this coming
elections. This includes Mocha Uson’s AA-Kasosyo Party and Duterte Youth led by
Ronald Cardema, Duterte’s avid supporter and chairman of the Kabataan for
Bongbong Movement, a youth organization supporting Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son
of the ousted dictator Ferdinand
One Patriotic Coalition of Marginalized Nationals, also called
as 1-Pacman. Its representative, Michael Romero, was named as the richest
legislator in 2018 based on his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
His net worth
in 2017 is P7.29 billion ($138 million). Romero was
also reported to have participated in an auction
with a bid of P50 million over an artwork in 2018.
Romero
is the chief executive officer of the Harbour
Centre Port Terminal, Inc., chairman of
the 168 Ferrum Pacific Mining Corporation and vice chairman of AirAsia
Philippines.
The
second richest legislator is running as representative of Diwa Party-List
(Dignidad sa Bawat Manggagawa) Emmeline Aglipay Villar, with a net worth of P1
billion ($19 million). She is the wife of Department of Public Works and
Highways Secretary Mark Villar.
By
allowing these party-list groups to run, Comelec does not only bastardize the
party-list system but also proves itself to be biased and partisan, anti-poor
and pro-rich.
