Comelec sees long ballot with 185 party-list groups

MANILA, Philippines — It’s going to be a long list.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) sees longer ballots for the 2019 midterm polls due to the large number of candidates and party-list groups that filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) and certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONAs).

“Ang haba ng balota pero wala tayong magagawa (The ballot is very long but we can’t do anything about it), that’s democracy,” Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon told reporters yesterday.

Guanzon said a total of 185 party-list organizations have submitted their CONAs, down from the 213 in the 2016 polls.

“(The number is ) lower now because this is midterm elections. Historically, midterm elections have less candidates,” Guanzon added.

Meanwhile, Guanzon admitted that some politicians are using the party-list system to be able to run for elective posts after their terms have expired or other members of their political clan are also running.

But Guanzon said the selection of nominees is an internal matter for the party-list groups and the Comelec can only intervene if the members do not agree on who to nominate.

“It becomes an intra-party issue if there are double nominations. (The) Comelec will hold hearings to determine who are the true nominees of the group,” Guanzon explained.

Personally, Guanzon said, she wants relatives of incumbent officials or those running for elective positions to be disqualified from participating in the party-list elections.

Under the Constitution, only marginalized and under-represented groups should participate in the party-list elections. But the Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that they can be represented by any member.

“The nominees for party-list are not limited to marginalized members because of the SC ruling. Now we have lawmakers with the same surnames,” Guanzon said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Guanzon also noted that only a few women have been nominated by party-list groups.

“Only 26 of the 185 groups that have filed their CONAs as of (yesterday) are women,” Guanzon said.

The Comelec commissioner lamented that the intention to provide truly marginalized sectors representation in the House of Representatives through of the party-list system has been wasted.

“People elect them. The Comelec cannot say do not elect these party-list groups,” Guanzon said, adding, “The Comelec only counts the votes.”

Until the law is amended, Guanzon said, the Comelec can only intensify voter’s education to guide them in electing the right party-list groups.

Duterte Youth was the last to file its CONA. Among the groups that filed their CONAs yesterday were Ako Bicol, Ang Kabuhayan, CIBAC, Ako OFW, Senior Citizens, PASAHERO, 1 Lambat, Bagong Henerasyon, One Philippines, a group formed by former Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary Rafael Alunan.  – With Sheila Crisostomo