SC's Velasco asked to inhibit for link with party-list group

MANILA, Philippines - Poll watchdog Kontra Daya Movement on Thursday asked Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco to inhibit from the deliberations on the appeal of party-list groups disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Fr. Joe Dizon, lead convenor of Kontra Daya Movement, said Velasco should not participate in the deliberations and voting of the SC en banc on the issue of the party-list groups requesting for a status quo ante order.

Dizon claimed that Velasco's family put up the controversial party-list Ang Mata'y Alagaan (AMA) which has been allowed by the Comelec to join the May 2013 polls.

"Dapat siya mismo ay mag-inhibit sa pag-participate sa SC discussion pagdating sa party-list. Sana i-withdraw niya ang AMA party-list at magkaroon ng enlightened decision na ang party-list na itinayo ng kanyang pamilya...," Dizon said.

"Bilang SC associate justice, he should act decently sa mga ganitong pagkakataon kung may delicadeza at decency siya," he added.

The AMA party-list group has been included in the list of 79 groups that have been allowed by the Comelec to run in the 2012 elections.

Kontra Daya cited that AMA is a group that claims to represent blind indigents and people afflicted with all kinds of eye diseases and disorders but whose nominees belong to the well-connected Velasco family.

Velasco's wife, Lorna, is its first nominee while their daughter, Tricia Nicole was chosen as AMA’s second nominee.

Dizon said they would file a complaint before the SC if they find the decision of the poll body "questionable."