MANILA, Philippines - Four months after the elections, the party-list group Coalition of Senior Citizens in the Philippines has yet to name its representatives in Congress.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Lucenito Tagle yesterday said the poll body proposed that each side just get one of the two seats allotted to the group to break the impasse.
“We brought that up during a hearing recently. We proposed that since they have two seats, each faction can just occupy one seat,†he said.
“Both factions are claiming that they are the legitimate ones. They have their own interpretation of their by-laws. So in case we favor one faction, whoever loses will surely go to the Supreme Court (SC). We don’t know when this will be over,†he added.
The Comelec had warned the contending groups that their term of office would expire without reaching an agreement.
Comelec records showed the party-list group’s two sets of nominees are Francisco Datol Jr. and Amelia Olegario; and Efren Santos and Godofredo Arquiza, Milagros Magsaysay and David Kho.
The SC reversed the ruling of the Comelec disqualifying Senior Citizens from participating in the elections.
The group obtained 677,642 votes, which entitles them to two seats at the House of Representatives.