‘Party-list to be retained under parliamentary government’

The Charter Change Advocacy Commission (ad-com) said yesterday the present party-list system of representation will be retained under its proposed parliamentary-federal system of government.

"The party-list system is vital to governance as it serves as the voice of the marginalized sectors of society," ad-com secretary-general Rita Linda Jimeno said in a statement.

"The party-list system will be retained in the proposed shift to parliamentary system because it upholds the rights of those who lack sectoral representation and assures the proper administration of social services to other sectors," she said.

She added that, in the proposed parliament that will be created with the amendment of the 1987 Constitution, there will be 150 seats for sectoral representatives.

Jimeno, a convenor of the Malayang Babae para sa Chacha at Reporma (Melchora), said sectoral representatives in the proposed parliament will be chosen by political parties instead of being voted into parliament, with a provision to ensure that all sectors are well-represented.

She said the proposal for sectoral representatives to be chosen rather than elected was made because it will be difficult to account for all the members of each sector and have them vote for a representative.

Jimeno said the religious sector will not be included in the representation, as the constitutional provision on the separation of Church and State will be left intact.

"Increasing the number of sectoral representation also amplifies the power of their voice in government," she said. "Collectively at 30 percent of the total members of parliament, the representatives will be a formidable bloc in the legislature."

Although people will no longer elect at-large national officials — such as senators, vice president and president — with the creation of a parliament, at least 350 representatives from each legislative district will be elected into parliament by the people.

Jimeno said marginalized segments of society will be given due presentation in parliament — particularly the labor, peasant, urban poor, youth, differently-abled, retiree, indigenous peoples and women sectors. — Mike Frialde