Palace: Marcos wary of abusive pols' use of party-list system

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is concerned that some party-list groups are being used by abusive politicians to advance their own interests, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the President has expressed specific concerns regarding the current party-list system.

“Marami po kasi talaga ang umaabuso, instead na marginalized sector ang talagang naiboboto, nagagamit ng ibang mga abusong pulitiko,” Castro said.

(A lot of politicians have really been abusive: instead of the marginalized sectors being prioritized, party-list seats are being used by abusive politicians.)

The party-list system in the Philippines was established under the 1987 Philippine Constitution and operationalized through Republic Act No. 7941 or the Party-List System Act.

It is a mechanism in the House of Representatives designed to ensure representation of marginalized and underrepresented sectors in Congress, including workers, farmers, indigenous peoples, women, youth, and other disadvantaged sectors.

On Tuesday, Marcos called on lawmakers to prioritize the passage of the proposed Party-list System Reform Act.

He also urged Congress to give priority to the Anti-Dynasty Bill and the proposed Independent People’s Commission (IPC) Act.

Castro confirmed this on Tuesday following a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) at Malacañang.

Present at the LEDAC meeting were Senate President Vicente Sotto III, House Speaker Faustino Dy III, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, and other congressional leaders.

In a separate statement, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the request for congressional action on the four bills goes beyond their immediate passage.

“The executive branch will seek wide consultation with all sectors so the best ideas can be incorporated in these pieces of reform legislation,” Recto added.—MCG, GMA Integrated News