MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) issued Thursday another status quo ante order covering four more party-list groups disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In the new halt order, the high court enjoined the poll body from implementing its orders disqualifying the groups AGRI, ABROAD, COCOFED and BANTAY of the controversial retired general Jovito Palparan from participating in the party-list polls in May next year.
This brings to 15 the number of disqualified party-list groups covered by the SQA order of SC, which will keep their slots in the Comelec's list of qualified party-lists for the 2013 polls, at least for now.
The SQA issued by the SC last Nov. 13 initially covered eight groups: Ako Bicol (AKB), Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC), 1st Consumer’s Alliance for Rural Energy Inc. (1CARE) and Alliance for Rural Concerns (ARC), Aksyon Magsasaka-Partido Tinig ng Masa (Akma-PTM), Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong na Walang Sala Inc. (Kakusa), Alliance for Rural and Agrarian Reconstruction Inc. (Araro) and Association for Righteousness Advocacy on Leadership (ARAL).
In its en banc session last Nov.20, the SC covered three more groups in its SQA - Anad, 1Bro-PGBI and A-IPRA.
The SQA means the poll body should include the 11 disqualified groups in its list of party-list groups set to be finalized next month and to be printed in the ballots starting Jan. 20 pending resolution of their petitions.
It, however, does not mean that petitioners have already won their case and may already join the May 2013 elections since the high court has yet to rule on the merits of their petitions after deliberations.
The Comelec is set to finalize next month the list of candidates for the printing of the ballots starting Jan. 20, 2013.
'Final list'
The Commission on Elections may release next week the final list of partylist groups that will be allowed to participate in the 2013 mid-term polls.
Quoting Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., a radio report said the poll body has yet completely purge the sectoral organizations' list and could be ready for release early next week.
Earlier, Brillantes announced that the final list of accredited partylist groups will be released Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Comelec en banc announced that it disqualified 37 more partylist groups from running in next year's elections.
About 300 partylist groups have sought accreditation from the Comelec, which has purged more than 100 groups as of date. - With Dennis Carcamo