Diwata slams ‘unfair’ cancellation petition vs Vendors partylist

Vendors party-list 4th nominee Deo “Diwata” Balbuena went to the Commission on Elections along with their lawyers to file their verified answer on the petition filed against the party-list on April 21, 2025. INQUIRER.net/JOHN ERIC MENDOZA

MANILA, Philippines — The disqualification case against the Vendors party-list is “unfair,” its 4th nominee Deo “Diwata” Balbuena said on Monday.

Balbuena, along with other nominees of the party-list, went to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and filed a verified answer to a complaint filed by poll watchdog Kontra Daya.

“I was just wondering, of all the party-lists who filed [their candidacy], but only Vendors [party-list] had a case like this,” Balbuena said in Filipino.

READ: Kontra Daya wants registration of Vendors Party-list cancelled

Unfair

“It’s so unfair,” he said, stressing that he is a legitimate vendor.

However, a party-list group could only win up to three seats, making it very unlikely for Balbuena to assume a House seat. The Comelec has introduced a new election guideline where party-list groups are now required to submit 10 nominees to represent them.

Nevertheless, Balbuena noted that party-list’s 1st nominee Malou Lipana also used to be a vendor.

“So, we are qualified,” he also said.

Define ‘small vendor’

However, Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao was not convinced.

“He (Balbuena) should seriously study the definition of small vendor if he thinks a party-list nominee who has multimillion government contracts while owning various businesses is indeed a marginalized and underrepresented vendor,” Arao said of the party-list’s first nominee in a message to INQUIRER.net on Monday.

Arao filed a complaint before the Comelec to cancel the registration of Vendors party-list for alleged misrepresentation of its first three nominees.

In his complaint, Arao also noted that Lipana disclosed that she is the president of Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines Corporation that secured a contract with the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Arao said their second nominee, Florencio Pesigan owns an advertising agency, while third nominee, Sheryl Sendil owns hardware and construction supplies.

Business not a DQ ground

Notwithstanding this, Edgar Giologo, the legal counsel of Vendors’ party-list said its nominees did not violate any law.

Gialogo cited the Supreme Court decision of Paglaum vs Comelec which stated that the party-list which represents the poor and marginalized does not need to be from the same sector.

“It is not enough to say that the first nominee of Vendors party-list has a business, which would disqualify her as a nominee,” he said in an interview in Filipino on Monday.