Comelec ruling on disqualified party-list groups not yet final

MANILA, Philippines - The battle is not over yet for 32 party-list groups disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from participating in the May 10 polls.

Hanson So, first nominee of the United Caddies and Green Keepers Association of the Philippines’ (UCAP), said the Comelec ruling on the disqualification of party-list groups is not yet final and their names are still in the ballots.

So said he is confident his group would be able to get votes and win the elections despite their disqualification.

UCAP was disqualified for failing to comply with the Comelec requirements for party-list groups.

“We are confident that we will still win a seat as sectoral representative because our organization is still included in the ballot,” he said.

The Comelec should not have announced their disqualification since they have pending petitions before the Supreme Court (SC), So said.

Earlier, the Comelec had announced that votes for 32 party-list groups would be considered stray votes. 

Their names are still in the ballots because they have pending appeals, the poll body said.

The votes for these 32 groups will be recorded and counted later if the SC rules in their favor, according to the Comelec.

UCAP sees getting at least 300,000 to 400,000 votes in next Monday’s elections, So said.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW), one of the disqualified party-list groups, said the Comelec announcement has caused confusion among its supporters.