Congressmen hit delay in proclamation of party-list winners

Two members of the House of Representatives are wondering why the Commission on Elections (Comelec) seems to be dilly-dallying on the proclamation of the remaining party-list groups that won in the May 14 elections.

“We don’t understand why, more than two months after the elections, the Comelec has not finished canvassing the votes yet,” said lone Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel who, along with Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, took up the cudgels for the Anak Mindanao party.

Akbayan wants the Comelec leadership to explain why Anak Mindanao, whose nominee is Mujiv Hataman, has not been proclaimed yet, “despite clear evidence that it obtained the required two percent of total votes cast.”

“This delay denies the right of the constituents of Amin to be represented in Congress. At the same time, it unjustly denies Amin the right to fulfill the mandate it received from the electorate,” Baraquel pointed out.

She also revealed that as of July 12, the Comelec proclaimed the nominee of the Agricultural Sector of the Philippines, even if Amin obtained more votes than AGAP. “Proclaiming AGAP without granting the same to Amin constitutes an act of discrimination.”

“They (Comelec officials) are dilly-dallying because they treat the party-list system with triviality,” Baraquel said.

Meantime, Angara, who belongs to the administration bloc, urged the Comelec to immediately proclaim the party-list winners especially now that the 14th Congress has formally opened.

“The session has started and I believe that Comelec should finish its job in proclaiming other winning party-list groups,” he said.

He cited for instance Anak Mindanao of Hataman, whose group managed to get the 2.1 percent threshold set by the poll body.

Angara, son of veteran Sen. Edgardo Angara, pointed out that it is important for the Comelec to proclaim the remaining party-list winners because the House is still in the process of counting how many congressmen will comprise the chamber.

The younger Angara observed that the Comelec, through its chairman Benjamin Abalos, has had more than enough time to perform its job. Delaying the party-list groups’ proclamation would only mean marginalizing the already marginalized sector they represent.

So far, 16 of the 24 or so party-list groups have been proclaimed, among them the three nominees of Buhay, two from Bayan Muna, one from Citizens Battle Against Corruption, two from women’s group Gabriela, two from Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (Apec), and one each from A-Teacher, Akbayan, Alagad, Butil, Coop-Natcco, Anakpawis, Alliance of Rural Concerns (ARC) and Abono.– Delon Porcalla