Disqualified senior citizens party-list to ask SC to stop proclamation of remaining winning groups

Claiming they were not heard, a disqualified party-list organization for senior citizens is set to ask the Supreme Court to stop the Commission on Elections from proclaiming the remaining winning party-list groups and hear their case.

 

On Monday, Rep. Godofredo Arquiza of 1 Coalition of Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines said they will be filing the supplemental petition to hear their disqualification case. He did not say when they will file the petition.

  

“Kailangang pagbigyan nila ang boses ng bayan dahil 672,000 ang boto namin, pakinggan nila, magkaroon ng due process. Yung disqualification, pag-usapan sa hearing kung kami ay dapat talagang i-disqualify. Wala kaming alam na sapat na dahilan na kami ay ma-disqualify,” Arquiza told reporters.

 

Disqualified

Senior Citizens was not proclaimed as among the winners despite garnering the 10th biggest number of votes as it was earlier disqualified by the Comelec.

 

Arquiza said among the reasons given by the Comelec for their disqualification were the term-sharing agreement between its second and third nominees in 2010 and the presence of another group claiming to be part of their organization.

 

But he believed their disqualification has no basis as the sharing of term between their second and third nominees in 2010 did not push through and they have also filed a petition to cancel the accreditation of the other group as early as September.

 

“Yung term-sharing nung 2010 hindi naman natuloy. Nagtataka kami [kung] anong basis ng aming disqualification... baka nasi-single out lang kami. Sinasabi na merong isang nagke-claim na senior citizen (group), hindi namin kasalanan yun, dapat i-hearing nila yun,” he said.

 

“Kung sinasabi na merong isang nag-aangkin, pinakamainam i-resolve nila. I-resolve nila ang issue bakit ba nagke-claim ito. Ano ba ang dahilan? Bakit hindi nila nireresolve e antagal tagal na kaming nagfile ng cancellation nung kabila,” he added.

 

Arquiza said they were not asking for their proclamation now but just a reservation of a seat for them while their case is being heard.

 

“Mangangatwiran kami kasi walang due process ito e,’” he said.

 

He said they only received the resolution on their disqualification on May 10 so they have no time to explain their side.

 

“May 6 pinublish nila na kami ay disqualified final and executory pero lumabas yung resolution nung May 10 kaya walang kaming pagkakataon. Hindi namin alam yung resolution kung ano dahil nauna yung announcement kesa sa resolution,” he said.

 

Arquiza said they have filed a petition for certiorari and temporary restraining order before the SC regarding their case but the latter has yet to act on it. — RSJ, GMA News