Winning party-lists want proclamation

Five party-list groups on Friday called on the Commission on Elections to make a partial proclamation of sectoral organizations that have reached the required number of votes. Nominees of Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (Apec), Alagad, Luzon Farmers Party (Butil) and Cooperative-Natco Network Party (Coop-Natcco) told reporters that the delay in their proclamation is depriving their sectors their right to be represented in Congress. Guillermo Cua of Coop-Natcco said other lawmakers have started doing their job in the House of Representatives in afternoon of June 30 while the party-list groups are still waiting for their proclamation. He said in 2004, winning groups were proclaimed as early as June 2. "What is taking them so long to proclaim us? The Comelec has already corrected discrepancies in the votes in some contested areas," Edgardo Valdez of Apec said. They asked if Comelec was able to partially proclaim winning senators while the votes from contested areas were still being resolved it should do the same to the winners of the party-list elections. "Why can't they do it to us (partial proclamation)? The formula is immaterial because we will still make it to the winning circle," Valdez said. He added they that have already received enough votes or more than two percent of the votes cast for party-list that would qualify them for a seat in Congress. They said using any formula, among the parties that are shoe-in for a seat are Buhay Hayaan Yumabong (Buhay), Bayan Muna, Citizen's Battle Against Corruption (Cibac), Gabriela, Apec, A Teacher, Akbayan, Alagad, Butil, Bagong Alyansang Tagapagtaguyod ng Adhikaing Sambayanan (Batas), Anakpawis and Coop-Natcco. They said these groups received more than 340,000 votes or two percent of the expected 17 million total votes cast for party-list. In the 14th Congress, the nominees said they would be pushing for the amendment of the party-list law to allow marginalized sectors to occupy 55 seats allotted for them in the Congress. Cua said during the 13th Congress only 15 party-list and their 24 representatives got seats in the House. And for the 14th Congress, they expect only 20 to 22 party-list representatives would be able to make it. Meanwhile, Akbayan accused Comelec of compromising the fate of progressive bills in Congress. "It is not simply a question of which formula to use or that the canvassing is not over yet," Akbayan nominee Theresia Hontiveros said. “The formula could have been decided much earlier and as in previous elections, the Comelec could make an early proclamation for groups that have clearly reached the minimum number of votes even with the uncanvassed results." She said the delay betrays Comelec's dismissive attitude toward the party-list system. Loretta Rosales added that the House secretariat is bent on evicting them from their office unless they show them a certificate of their proclamation as winning party-list. - GMANews.TV