Gay group denied party-list accreditation

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) second division rejected Wednesday the petition of a gay rights group to gain party-list accrediation for the May 2007 polls. In a three-page resolution, the Comelec found that the Ang Ladlad group declared untruthful statements in its petition filed on September 15 last year. "Contrary to petitioner's allegation in its petition that its membership is national in scope, reports from our field offices reveal that it doesn’t exist in most regions of the country," the resolution read. The poll body was quick to defend the move, saying it never doubted Ang Ladlad's sincerity to uphold the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals in the House of Represerntatives. Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez insisted that the petition was denied simply because it was unable to meet all the requirements for party-list accreditation. “The question of constituency is very important especially if you declare your party or organization as a national party with national membership," he said. Ang Ladlad, which claims to have 16,000 members, had said it expects to corner about 10 percent of the votes this May. The group, led by English professor Danton Remoto of the Ateneo de Manila University, earlier claimed that the Comelec had been acting too slowly on their plea. Remoto has already filed his certificate of candidacy for the Senate. "We have to follow what the law says," Jimenez said. Meanwhile, Ang Ladlad secretary general Doni Santos said his group's members will study if they will appeal the Comelec decision or request that the poll body en banc tackle the matter. In press conference last Valentine's Day, Ang Ladlad said it would campaign in beauty parlors and other areas frequented by homosexuals. Remoto then said his group would also launch a "closeted campaign" targeted at Filipino voters who have come to terms with their homosexuality but have been afraid to speak. He said many homosexuals have entered various sectors in Philippine society, but have had to content themselves to stay in the "closet." - GMANews.TV