Comelec won’t proclaim Abang Lingkod party-list yet

MANILA, Philippines - Despite a Supreme Court (SC) order, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not proclaiming party-list group Abang Lingkod.

Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the SC decision certifying Abang Lingkod as among the winners in the May 2013 elections is not final and executory.

“We will file a motion for reconsideration,” he said. 

In a vote of 10-4 Wednesday, the SC ordered the Comelec to recognize Abang Lingkod as a party-list and to proclaim the group’s nominees according to the votes it had obtained in the May 13 polls.

The SC ruled that the Comelec erred in disqualifying Abang Lingkod over its failure to prove its track record, and disprove allegations that it is not representative of the sector it is supposed to represent in Congress.

Abang Lingkod does not need to prove its track record as it is enough that the principal advocacy of sectoral organizations pertains to the sector they represent, the SC said.

Abang Lingkod is expected to get one of the 58 allocated seats for party-list groups in Congress with 260,215 votes tallied last May 13.

The Comelec had previously withheld the second Certificate of Proclamation (COP) of An Waray party-list group because the SC ruling on the Abang Lingkod case remained pending.

It is the last of the 58 seats allocated for party-list groups in Congress.