JV seeks Comelec OK for 'Partido Magdiwang'

MANILA, Philippines - San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito and his mother, Guia Gomez, have filed a petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the registration and accreditation of “Partido Magdiwang” as a local political party.

His move follows on the heels of a petition by a group of soldiers who mutinied in 2003, seeking to register their political party, “Magdalo para sa Pagbabago,” to join next year’s national elections.

The names Magdalo and Magdiwang were derived from rival factions of the Katipunan, which was founded by Andres Bonifacio in 1896 to fight the Spaniards.

Ejercito said in his petition that their group “is devoted chiefly to the principles of belief in God, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, democracy and our people, social justice and social reform, economic priorities and global preparedness.”

The petition had listed Ejercito as the party’s chairperson and Gomez as its president. The other officials are Leonardo Celles, vice president; Rodolfo Irasga Jr., secretary general; and Jose Pepito Sugay, deputy secretary general. Founded on April 19, 2008, the Magdiwang party is a San Juan-based local political party with offices and chapters in majority of the city’s barangays.   – Sheila Crisostomo