Reyes top nominee of 1-UTAK

MANILA, Philippines - Former energy secretary Angelo Reyes emerged yesterday as the number one nominee of the party-list group 1 United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK) for a seat in the House of Representatives.

1-Utak Rep. Vigor Mendoza told The STAR Reyes got the highest points during the recent voting of the party-list group’s executive committee.

“The party observed the democratic process, and Secretary Reyes was the top choice,” he said.

Mendoza said the 1-UTAK executive committee subjected the nine nominees to a rigorous process, involving a 100-point system across six criteria. He said after the points were tallied, three official nominees were declared: Reyes, Mendoza; and Homer Mercado, president of the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines.

Named alternate nominees were Zeny Maranan, Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Alliance of the Philippines president; and Ryan Benjamin Yu, Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative chairman.

Mendoza said they are determined to win three seats in Congress to enable 1-UTAK to effectively address the needs of transport workers.

“The emergence of former secretary Reyes as No. 1 nominee comes as no surprise,” he said.

“He has been a friend, supporter and worker for the interest of the transportation sector and is certainly qualified to be our No. 1 nominee.”

Mendoza said Reyes fully meets the qualifications for party-list representative under Section 9 of Republic Act 1941, the Party-List Systems Act.

Nacionalista Party senatorial candidates Reps. Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday to disqualify Reyes as a nominee of 1-UTAK.

In their petition, Maza and Ocampo said Reyes cannot be considered a member of any marginalized sector, including 1-UTAK which is supposed to represent jeepney drivers and operators and commuters.

“(He) cannot deliver or perform the causes of the jeepney drivers, operators and commuters because he is considered a top-level manager who had no direct experience over the needs and problems of the sector he seeks to represent,” read the petition.

Ocampo and Maza said that allowing Reyes, a retired Armed Forces chief and defense secretary, to sit in Congress as 1-UTAK nominee will defeat the purpose of the party-list system. – Perseus Echeminada, Sheila Crisostomo