LP to exhaust all means to contest Comelec ruling on dominant minority party

The Liberal Party vowed Friday to exhaust all legal means to contest the Commission on Elections’ ruling declaring Nacionalista Party, an ally of the administration, as the dominant minority party in the May 13 polls.

“We will exhaust all remedies available. This sets a terrible precedent not just for this coming election but for future elections. It must be vigorously contested,” Senator Francis Pangilinan, LP president, said in a text message to GMA News Online.

“Our political rights as citizens are being trampled upon by this obnoxious ruling,” he added.

In a separate press statement, Pangilinan questioned the Comelec ruling which was released four days before Election Day.

“Paano naman nangyari yun eh magkaalyado ang PDP at NP sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang administrasyon? Sila na ang majority, sila pa rin ang minority? Ang alyansang PDP-NP na ba ang bagong KBL?” he said.

“Lumabas ang desisyon kahapon, May 9, 2019 o apat na araw na lang bago ang araw ng eleksyon. Wala ng oras mag-apela. Sinadya ba ito? Dapat tutulan. Tututulan hanggang sa Korte Suprema. Walang atrasan. Walang pagsuko,” he added.

The Comelec declared Partido Demokratiko Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan, headed by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III as the dominant majority party while Nacionalista Party (NP), led by businessman and former Senate president Manny Villar as the dominant minority party.

On the other hand, Liberal Party (LP), Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (LAKAS-CMD), Workers and Peasants Party (WPP), Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), National Unity Party (NUP), AKSYON DEMOKRATIKO were declared as major political parties.

Pangilinan said the poll body’s decision is against democracy, basic tenets of fair play, and common sense.

“Kalokohan. Pinwera ninyo ang oposisyon at binigay lahat ng pribilehiyo sa administrasyon. Ika nga eh sa mainit na araw na ito ay kulang na lang ay paypayan ninyo sila ng husto, bigyan ng maiinom na malamig na tubig at maglabas ng masarap na merienda,” he said.

He asked if Comelec is also engaged in politicking.

“This is no different from the decision and politicking of politicians in the House of Representatives when they proclaimed GMA speaker and elected as minority leader their ally and party-mate Rep. Danny Suarez,” he said.

He appealed to the Comelec not to be blinded and be an instrument of the administration in trampling the right of the people and democracy.

“Pati ba ang Comelec ay sunud-sunuran na rin?” he said.

Political alliances

In response, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said political alliances were not a basis for the decision.

The poll body's resolution containing the declaration applied different formula on a 5-point set of criteria in determining the dominant parties, including the organizations' established record and the number of their incumbent elective officials.

Other factors considered were the parties’ identified political organizations and strengths as evidenced by their organized chapters, their ability to field a slate of candidates, and the number of women candidates they fielded from the municipal level to the senatorial post.

“What you’ll see there is that alliances are not a criterion. It’s not about who you are allied with. It’s about your size and your relative strength as a political party,” Jimenez said at a press conference.

“What you’re ranking here is the status of the political party, not its allegiance,” he said. — with Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News