Poll watchdog Kontra Daya recently released a study claiming that more than half of the party list groups seeking seats in the May elections do not represent the marginalized and underrepresented. In addition, most groups leading in the surveys have been flagged for hijacking the party list system.
The group said 86, or 55.13 percent of the 156 party list groups eligible to participate in the elections, have links with political dynasties, big businesses, police or military; have pending corruption cases; dubious advocacies; or do not provide enough information to the public about their groups.
Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao said the percentage of party list groups flagged is lower compared to the 70 percent in the 2022 elections. However, 40 out of the 156 party list groups qualified to run this May have links to political dynasties, compared to 43 out of 177 in the 2022 polls.
At least 7 party groups leading in the surveys have links with political clans, big businesses, or the police or military. At least two party list groups have husbands, wives, in-laws, and siblings from political clans as nominees. Many nominees are also relatives of former and incumbent government officials or big businessmen.
Arao noted that political clans in the provinces already have bailiwicks that can deliver the 200,000 or more votes, which is enough to secure a party list seat.
Center for People Empowerment in Governance executive director Natalie Pulvinar said if left unchecked, the continued hijacking of the party list system will further entrench elite dominance in Philippines politics, diminishing the democratic space for genuine representatives of the marginalized. She called for citizens to stand together in reclaiming the party list system for those who truly need it.
It does not have to be said that groups with nominees who are members of political dynasties, retired government officials, and wealthy businessmen are not there to champion the interests of the poor, marginalized, and underrepresented.
The original intent of the party list system is to provide representation for the marginalized and underrepresented. But because of poor oversight, regulation, and controls, whether deliberate or not, it has been co-opted and has now become a favorite tool of political dynasties and big business for expanding grasp on power, at the expense of the original beneficiaries of the law.
Will the Commission on Elections, and the three branches of government that are supposed to work together for the good of the people, be able to make the party list system work as it was supposed to? Or has it been lost to the powerful interests whose greed for more power can never be satisfied?*
