More disqualified party-list groups may get SC relief

MANILA, Philippines - More delisted party-list groups may be given relief when the Supreme Court (SC) resumes session today after a month-long break.

The SC is expected to rule on the petitions of at least eight party-list groups to join the elections in May.

An SC member told The STAR: “The court may still issue more status quo ante orders on the party-list and Comelec (Commission on Elections) has to obey if that happens. It will be up to them how to fix the sequence of the listing in the ballot.”

Meanwhile, the Comelec excluded yesterday 13 party-list groups from the raffle to determine their placing in the ballots for the 2013 polls.

In Resolution 9604, the Comelec said the 13 failed to meet the requirements to be included in the raffle.

The Comelec said: “The Commission resolves to reserve the slots left vacant by the excluded party-list groups for those groups who will be able to obtain status quo ante order or mandatory injunction.”

The 13 party-list groups are: Ako An Bisaya (AAB); Alagad ng Sining (ASIN); Alab ng Mamahayag (ALAM); Association of Guard, Utility Helper, Aider, Rider, Driver/Domestic Helper, Janitor, Agent and Nanny of the Philippines Inc. (GUARDJAN); Abyan Ilonggo (ABYAN ILONGGO); Alliance of Organizations, Networks and Associations of the Philippines (ALONA); Partido ng Bayan and Bida (PBB); Pilipinas para sa Pinoy (PPP); 1-Alliance Advocating Autonomy Party (1AAP); Kalikasan (KALIKASAN); Akbay Kalusugan (AKIN); Manila Teachers Savings and Loans Association (MANILA TEACHERS); and Association of Local Athletics, Entrepreneurs and Hobbyists (ALA-EH).

On Nov. 13 last year, the SC issued a status quo ante order stopping the poll body from disqualifying party-list groups with pending petitions.

Before the SC went on recess last Dec. 12, the status quo ante orders covered a total of 52 party-list groups.

However, more party-list groups had filed petitions when the SC was already on recess.

The SC was not able to tackle the petitions of the following:

Confederation of Savings and Loan Associations (Consla), 1st Kabalikat ng Bayan Ginhawang Sangkatauhan (Kabagis), Pilipinas Para sa Pinoy (PPP), 1 Serve the People, Educational Development Services for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (EDSA), Angat Ahon Magsasaka (AAM) and Isang Kasambahay Po Inc. (1- Kasambahay Po).

Last Jan. 4, the SC received another petition from the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations Inc. (ACTO) also questioning a Comelec disqualification order.

ACTO has sought a temporary restraining order, a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction and a writ of certiorari.

ACTO supposedly has 265,000 members nationwide comprised of drivers and operators of jeepneys, tricycles, and transports vehicles.

The SC is also set to tackle the petition filed last week by a couple questioning the constitutionality of Republic Act 10354, the Reproductive Health (RH) law.

Also in today’s agenda is the proposed one-year suspension of a new rule allowing submission of affidavits in place of the direct testimony of witnesses in criminal cases.

PM pickets SC

Members of Partido ng Manggagawa Coalition (PM Coalition) picketed the SC yesterday to press for their inclusion in the list of accredited party-list groups participating in the May elections.

Bong Palad, PM Coalition president, and Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) secretary, said the Comelec was wrong to disqualify their party-list group.

“We appeal to the Supreme Court to be the court of last resort and remedy the erroneous decision of the Comelec on disqualifying a group that is truly representative of the labor sector,” he said.

The Comelec made a mess of the so-called cleansing of the party-list system in accrediting bogus party-list groups and disqualifying the true marginalized, Palad said.

The Comelec has asked the SC to immediately resolve pending petitions of various party-list groups seeking accreditation. With Sheila Crisostomo, Mayen Jaymalin