Mikey Arroyo urged to back out of party-list race

Two militant lawmakers on Tuesday asked presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Jose Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo to withdraw from the 2010 party-list race even before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decides on the disqualification case filed against him. In separate statements, Bayan Muna Representatives Satur Ocampo and Neri Colmenares asked Arroyo to quit as the nominee of party-list Ang Galing Pinoy (AGP) which supposedly represents security guards and tricycle drivers. "Out of delicadeza, Mikey Arroyo should back out of the party-list race," said Ocampo, who is running as a guest senatorial candidate under the Nacionalista Party banner. Earlier, Ocampo and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza and Bayan Muna separately sought the disqualification of Arroyo, saying that he is not a member of the sector which AGP seeks to represent. Militant group Akbayan likewise asked the poll body to declare immediately the disqualification of the nominees of AGP for failing to comply with a requirement mandated by the law. Comelec Resolution 8807 requires party-list groups to submit documentary evidence to prove that their nominees "truly belong" to the marginalized and underrepresented sector they seek to represent. The poll body second division is set to hear the disqualification cases against Arroyo late Tuesday. "Arroyo better quit the party-list nominating him before he gets kicked out. It would be better for him to go back to making movies where he could focus on his acting career," said Colmenares. In a separate statement, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said the poll body need not deliberate on a disqualification case filed against such nominees. "The Comelec on its own can disqualify any nominee who violated any of the rules and requirements determined by the institution. There is no need for taxing hearings, much more dillydallying from their end," he said. GMANews.TV tried but failed to contact Arroyo, as he was not answering calls as of posting time. — LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV