Comelec: Only 42 newly-accredited party-list groups for 2025 polls

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said there were only 42 newly accredited party-list groups for the 2025 midterm elections, the least in history.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said there are 118 party-list groups with existing accreditations in Comelec, but four of them did not submit a certificate of nomination and acceptance, indicating their non-participation.

“As I said, these are the lowest, least number [of accreditation] in our history of party-list,” Garcia said in an ambush interview after the raffle for the numerical arrangement of 164 party-lists at Palacio del Gobernador.

Among the notable first-time party-list aspirants are Vendors party-list with pares vendor and social media sensation Deo “Diwata” Balbuena as one of the nominees, as well as FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list with Sen. Grace Poe’s son Brian Poe Llamanzares serving as the first nominee.