This ‘poor’ party-list is connected to COA
This party-list contender proves how bastardized the system is:
• The first nominee is the wife of a Commissioner on Audit.
She owns two construction and one mining company, but purports to represent a marginalized sector.
DPWH granted one construction firm two P95-million road lighting works in June 2024. MMDA gave the other firm seven projects in Quezon City in March 2022.
DENR granted the mining firm a 10,000-hectare magnetite (black sand) offshore concession in Luzon.
Her COA connection is a potential conflict of interest. COA must scrutinize all government contracts.
• The third nominee is the wife of a construction magnate. Her Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance only states “business owner.”
Their company has DPWH projects in Southern Tagalog and MMDA garbage works. It leases equipment to government.
In 2012 COA’s fraud office disallowed a provincial capitol’s P5.14-million payments to the construction firm.
On appeal till 2023, the COA commissioner-husband of the first nominee cleared of any liability the husband of the third nominee.
I won’t mention the party’s name, lest I unintentionally promote it. In politics, as in showbiz, good or bad publicity is still publicity. Politicos even prolong the controversy to stay in the limelight.
But those facts are readily available online.
Comelec could have easily dug them up – for clean, honest, fair election. If it disqualifies nuisance candidates for election mockery, then all the more should it weed out fake “marginalized” parties.
Sadly, Comelec is first to bastardize the party-list voting.
Of 156 listed parties in Election 2025, 86 (55.13 percent) are doubtful. Election watchdog Kontra Daya flagged them after three-and-a-half months of background check.
UP Prof. Danny Arao, Kontra Daya convenor, said the 86 are tied to:
(1) Political dynasties which the Constitution bans,
(2) Big businesses which promote oligarchy,
(3) Police/military groups which suppress freethinking,
(4) Ongoing corruption cases or previous convictions,
(5) Dubious advocacies, or have
(6) Scanty information.
Arao exemplified Kaunlad Pinoy when interviewed Saturday in Sapol-dwIZ:
“First nominee is James Christopher Napoles. If the surname sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the son of Janet Lim-Napoles, convicted pork barrel fixer of 20 senators and 100 congressmen in 2014.
“Ms. Napoles is in prison for life for plunder, and thus is permanently banned from public office.
“James Christopher is not convicted. But he was charged in 2017 with 97 counts each of graft and malversation for falsification of public documents.
“In 2018 he was indicted with Ms. Napoles and four others for conspiracy to funnel $20 million in and out of the US. That’s Philippine public fund obtained allegedly through years of bribery and fraud.”
Voters should know Kaunlad’s background, Arao said.
Better still, Comelec should have debarred Kaunlad outright. It can be tough when it wants to.
In November 2023 it disqualified 13-yearlong electronic balloting supplier Smartmatic. That was on mere news reports that the firm bribed ex-Comelec chairman Andres Bautista in 2015. Only in August 2024 did the Florida district attorney indict Bautista and three Smartmatic bribers.
Sadly, Comelec softens up for the wrong reasons. In October 2023 it ruled en banc to recount five ballot boxes in each of 15 regions to disprove findings of fraud in Presidential-VP Election 2022.
The poll body offered to defray all costs and dared ex-DICT secretary Eliseo Rio, former Comelec commissioner Gus Lagman and ex-FINEX president Franklin Ysaac to pick the precincts. The trio proposed instead to count only 30 boxes in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, only an hour’s drive from Comelec’s Manila head office.
Oddly, Comelec reneged on its promise.
In Election 2022, Kontra Daya flagged 120 listed parties out of 177 (67.8 percent) for the six faults above. In Election 2019 it was 62 of 134 (46.3 percent).
“The problem persists,” Arao said.
Back to the party who shall not be named:
• The second nominee is a local politico. Comelec merely stated the name. A quick check by Kontra Daya showed a dark side. The ombudsman once suspended him for picking a fight at the DFA while applying for a passport.
• Only the fourth nominee is truly marginalized. Famous online, he avidly campaigns for the party of constructors-miners.
• Fifth is another government contractor.
• Based on her CONA the sixth is a housewife.
• Seventh owns a beach resort dorm.
• Eighth is self-employed, nineth is a businessman, tenth is a CPA.
No details from Comelec.
Vote wisely. Study Kontra Daya report: https://tinyurl.com/KDPLstudy2025
* * *
Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8 to 10 a.m., dwIZ (882-AM).
Follow me on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/Jarius-Bondoc
- Latest
- Trending
