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Comelec proclaims top 14 winning party-list groups

Marc Jayson Cayabyab, GMA News

(Updated 2:11 p.m.) The Comelec has announced the proclamation, with one guaranteed seat, of 14 party-list groups for having garnered so far 2 percent of total votes cast for party-list.

Commissioner Elias Yusoph made the announcement Friday morning while reading the National Board of Canvassers Resolution No. 0006-13 promulgated May 24, 2013.

The 14 groups are:
  1. Buhay Hayaang Yumabon
  2. Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment Through Action Cooperation and Harmony Towards Educational Reforms (A-TEACHER)
  3. Bayan Muna
  4. 1st Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy, Inc.  (1-CARE)
  5. Akbayan Citizens' Action Party
  6. Ako Bicol Political Party
  7. Abono
  8. OFW Family Club
  9. Gabriela Women's Party
  10. Cooperative Natcco Network Party (COOP-NATCCO)
  11. Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP)
  12. Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC)
  13. Magdalo Para sa Pilipino
  14. An Waray

In a chance interview, poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. said they based their proclamation on the total votes cast with and without the disqualified party-list groups. Party-lists seats are calculated using the total votes cast.
 
Brillantes added that the proclaimed groups may get more seats.
 
“Hindi lamang namin mai-proclaim ang (may) dalawa(ng seats) kaagad kasi maaapektuhan ang computations,” he said.
 
Earlier, Commissioner Lucenito told GMA News Online in a phone interview, "'Yung mga naka-garner ng one seat, talagang assured na 'yun." 

Disqualified groups

As of first tally, he said, a disqualified party-list group Senior Citizens managed to land in 10th place. But it may not be proclaimed pending a high court ruling on its appeal.

Brillantes said they are just waiting for a status quo ante (SQA) or temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court to proclaim Senior Citizens. He added however that it is unlikely.
 
Aside from Senior Citizens, other groups that appealed to the high court are Binhi, Abang Lingkod, and Alliance for National Democracy.
 
Ang Galing Pinoy, which was once represented by Mikey Arroyo, was disqualified but did not appeal to the high court. Brillantes said their votes may not be included in the final tally since they would only consider groups that appealed to the SC.
 
Brillantes said the axed groups should get a TRO or SQA from the court within five days until Monday. “Kung wala silang nakuhang status quo within the period, wala na iyon, tuloy na kami,” he added.
 
The party-list system is a proportional representation with the number of seats computed using the formula in the SC ruling Banat vs. Comelec.
 
Party-list groups that garnered at least two percent of total votes cast are guaranteed one seat in the House of Representatives.
 
However, using the so-called “Carpio formula,” party-lists that garnered more than two percent may have additional seats, calculated by multiplying their vote percentage to the total number of available party-list seats (total seats minus the guaranteed seats).
 
Not counting the 14 proclaimed groups, Brillantes said there are no more than 44 available seats up for grabs.
 
In case there are remaining seats, the next party-lists in rank can then go up to the Congress.
 
The Carpio formula ensures that the seats are filled up with no group granted more than three seats.

Nominees of winning party-lists
 
The proclaimed group's nominees are:
 
1. Buhay Hayaang Yumabon
 
The pro-life group is represented by Mariano Michael Velarde, son of El Shaddai founder Mike Velarde. Even when the Supreme Court ruling Ang Bagong Bayani vs. Comelec supposedly prohibits religious groups from participating in the party-list elections, Brillantes said the commission decided that Buhay is not a religious party-list.
 
Michael Velarde is also the 10th richest party-list representative as of 2011, with a net worth of P53 million.
 
Their second nominee is former Manila Mayor Jose "Lito" Atienza Jr.
 
2. A-TEACHER
 
The teachers' group is represented by Mariano Piamonte and Julieta Cortuna.
 
Although representing a teachers group, Cortuna once served as external auditor for Sycip, Gorres, Velayo and Company, the country’s largest auditing and accounting firm. She also has a net worth of over P15 million in 2011.
 
3. Bayan Muna
 
The militant multi-sectoral party-list group is represented by lawyer Neri Colmenares, Carlos Isagani Zarate and Hope Hervilla.
 
Colmenares is the fifth poorest party-list lawmaker in the 15th Congress with a net worth of almost P700,000.
 
4. 1-CARE
 
The rural energy sectoral party-list is represented by Edgardo R. Masongsong, Michael Angelo C. Rivera and Concordio S. Quisaot.
 
5. Akbayan
 
Once the subject of a disqualification case filed by its rival militant party-list groups, the PNoy ally Akbayan placed at fifth with their current representative Walden Bello, Malacanang’s former undersecretary for political affairs Barry Gutierrez, and Angelina Ludovice-Katoh of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.  
 
Akbayan is also the political and ideological rival of the Makabayan Coalition party-lists.
 
6. Ako Bicol
 
The regional group has two sets of representatives: their current representatives Rodel Batocabe Alfredo Garbin and Christoper Co belongs to the first set, while Emilio G. Ubaldo, Jr., Pedro A. Ravanilla and Rus Kristoffer B. Parcia belong to the second.
 
Co is the fourth richest party-list representative in the 15th Congress with a P91 million net worth, while Batocabe is the 12th richest with a P30 million net worth.
 
The Comelec has yet to rule on which set of nominees will be proclaimed.
 
7. Abono
 
The group claiming to represent the farmers' sector has fielded nominees affiliated with the Estrella dynasty of Pangasinan and the Ortegas of La Union.

Their first nominee Conrado M. Estrella III, who was Pangasinan sixth district representative from 1987 to 1995, is also the brother of incumbent representative Robert Raymond Estrella.
 
Meanwhile, the second nominee, Francisco Emmanuel R. Ortega III, who is Abono's incumbent representative, belongs to a family of politicians in La Union. His father, Manuel Ortega, is the current governor of La Union while his uncle, Victor Francisco, is the incumbent La Union first district representative.
 
Meanwhile, their third nominee Erika Caitlin Dy is related to Isabela Governor Faustino Dy III.
 
8. OFW Family Club
 
The overseas workers group is represented by Roy V. Señeres, Sr., Juan Johnny R. Revilla and Roy M. Señeres Jr.
 
9. Gabriela
 
The women's group has fielded two of their incumbent representatives as their nominees — Luzviminda C. Ilagan, Emerenciana A. De Jesus, and a certain Lucia F. Francisco.
 
10. COOP-NATCCO
 
The group's nominees are: business-agriculturist Cresente Paez, Anthony M. Bravo and Herminio C. Hernandez.

Paez was a representative in the 15th Congress with a net worth of P6.553 million in 2011.
 
11. AGAP
 
Their nominees are 15th Congress Representative Nicanor M. Briones, Rico B. Geron and Arnel C. Marasigan.

Briones is the 10th richest party-list representative in 2011 with a net worth of over P46 million.
 
12. CIBAC
 
The party-list group is led by Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, the director of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and is the son of Jesus is Lord founder Bro. Eddie Villanueva, a defeated presidential candidate in the 2010 elections.
 
CIBAC, which claims to be an anti-corruption group, also has two sets of nominees.
 
In its first set, CIBAC's first nominee is Sherwin Tugna, son-in-law of the JIL founder, followed Cinchona C. Cruz-Gonzales and Armi Jane R. Borje.
 
Its second set of nominees include Luis K. Lokin, Jr., Bibiano C. Rivera, Jr. and Antonio P. Manahan, Jr.
 
13. Magdalo
 
The party-list group is represented by former military officer Gary Alejano, former Cebu City Representative Francisco Ashley L. Acedillo, and Manuel G. Cabochan.

Alejano and Cabochan were both involved in the Manila Peninsula Hotel military siege against the Arroyo administration last November 2007.
 
14. An Waray
 
The Visayas region group has fielded their incumbent representative Neil Benedict A. Montejo, Jude A. Acidre and Victoria Isabel G. Noel as their nominees.

Victoria Noel is a relative of An Waray’s former representative Florencio Noel.
 
Montejo is 19th richest party-list representative in the 15th Congress with a net worth of over P19 million. — LBG/KG, GMA News
Tags: partylist, partylistlelection, eleksyon2013, comelec
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