6 of 10 party-list reps don’t represent marginalized – Kontra Daya
Kontra Daya lead convenor Danilo Arao (File photo from his Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — Majority of the 63 incoming party-list representatives and 54 party-list groups in the 20th Congress do not represent the marginalized and underrepresented, election watchdog Kontra Daya said on Monday.
Kontra Daya lead convenor Danilo Arao said that its February 2025 data on party-list groups showed that 38 incoming party-list representatives (or 60.32 percent) either belong to political dynasties, big businesses or have military/police connections.
Also, out of the 54 party-list groups identified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as winners in the party-list race, 32 of them were flagged by Kontra Daya likewise for not representing the marginalized and underrepresented.
“Let us exert public pressure on the 20th Congress to push for the passage of the anti-dynasty law and the amendment to the party-list law to make the latter truly representative of the marginalized and the underrepresented,” Arao said in a statement.
“The rich and powerful’s hijacking of the party-list system should stop,”Arao added.
‘Mere advocacy enough’
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Monday said that the party-list law should have an “overhaul.”
Garcia, however, said the Supreme Court’s ruling on Atong Paglaum versus Comelec stated that a party-list representative need not hail from the marginalized sectors as their “mere advocacy is enough.”
“We can’t do anything because the SC said so—mere advocacy is enough,” Garcia said in a press conference at Manila Hotel Tent City.
“So meaning, an overhaul or change is needed for our party-list law,” he added.
On Friday, Garcia also said party-list groups with “ayuda” or “teleserye” sounding names will no longer be allowed to register in the next elections.
