Comelec eyes delisting party-list groups that failed to win in past 2 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Monday it is considering barring party-list groups that failed to win in the past two polls from participating in the 2025 national and local elections. 

In a public briefing, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that this was part of the poll body’s assessment of the applications for accreditation of party-list groups for the next elections. 

“Doon sa mga existing na party-list na nakasali na sa mga nakaraang halalan, ay maglalabas po ang Comelec ng resolusyon kung saan ‘yun pong mga sumali at dalawang beses pong hindi nanalo at hindi nakapag-paupo sa Kongreso ay maaari pong matanggal na sa listahan, ayon din sa Party-list Act,” he said. 

(For the existing party-lists, the Comelec will issue a resolution delisting those who participated in the past two elections but did not win and get a seat, in accordance with the Party-list Act.) 

Comelec set the deadline for the filing of the Manifestation of Intent to Participate of registered and existing party-list groups, as well as the Petition for Registration of political parties and party-lists, for the 2025 polls on December 29, 2023. 

Laudiangco said the registration was made for Comelec to determine if the party-list groups seeking to run in the 2025 elections are true representatives of the sectors they claim to represent. 

“At higit sa lahat, nako-comply ba nila ‘yung requirements ng Party-list Act pati na rin po ‘yung mga sunod-sunod na desisyon ng Korte Suprema,” he added. 

(Above all, we want to know if they can comply with the requirements of the Party-list Act, as well as the recent decisions of the Supreme Court.) 

Earlier this month, Comelec chairman George Garcia said the Congress should amend the Party-list Law as soon as possible to prevent political families and power brokers from abusing the law’s loopholes and easing out genuine representatives of the marginalized sector.

Garcia also recalled several instances of party-list groups' presenting legitimate representatives and members of the marginalized sector during the hearing for their accreditation before the poll body, only for the party-list groups to list a different set of individuals as nominees during the filing of candidacy.—LDF, GMA Integrated News