Commentary
Party
List: Shortest Route to Power and Danger Signals
By
Ely Manalansan
Contributed to CenPEG
Except for the presence of persecuted militants that genuinely represent
marginalized Filipinos among party list organizations, the party
list race in the Philippines has become derision to hopes of political
empowerment for the masses.
Why even politicians among traditional has-beens and their relatives
are forming a bee-line to the Commission on Elections (Comelec),
their big-time lawyers arguing accreditation and a chance to run
in the 2007 polls, is a puzzle. While lawyers reason that there
should be the broadest representation in Congress, privately, talk
swirls around the party list system as having become “the
shortest route” to Congress.
Primed with more pelf out of increased “pork barrel”
allowance for legislators, the inducement to put up a “party
list” and have it qualified to run for election by setting
up a “national constituency” becomes greater. It doesn't
matter if prostituted along the way is the essence of party list
representation for the marginalized and the underrepresented in
government policy-making. It never mattered actually, as long as
lawyers can convince the Comelec that their client party lists are
nationally organized and have existing concrete programs to uplift
their marginalized constituency.
Loopholes in the country's system of party list representation abound.
But the Comelec has not been any help in eliminating inequities
from a system supposed to bring equity in governance systems.
Neither is the national government expending effort to bring to
justice crookedness already apparent in the party list system. In
fact, the government itself is contributing to this injustice by
surreptitiously fielding party lists and openly supporting party
lists with aims of consolidating power, precluding presidential
impeachment, and pushing charter change, rather than representing
marginalized sectors – which in fact they do not represent.
Worse, there is an indicative rightist drift among party lists seeking
voters' approval for political platforms that mirror the reactionary
agenda of established institutions of power. This is apparent in
certain party lists running for the May polls. The same party lists
that are being charged as “government fronts” by a party
list personality.
Government fronts
A party-list representative recently stirred controversy by expressing
suspicion that at least 11 party lists running in the May polls
are “government fronts.” Government funded and supported
party lists are expressly prohibited by the Supreme Court in the
guidelines for screening party lists it issued to the Comelec in
2001.
Among party lists mentioned are the Alliance for National Democracy
(ANAD), Aksyon Sambayanan (AkSa), Ahon Pinoy, Angat Ating Kabuhayan
(ANAK), AANGAT TAYO, Ang Galing Pinoy, Byaheng Pinoy, Agbiag Timpuyog
Ilocano Inc., Kasangga sa Kaunlaran Inc. (Kasangga), Kapatiran ng
mga Nakakulong na Walang Sala (KAKUSA) and Barangay Association
for National Advancement and Transparency (BANAT). Two among these,
Aangat Ka, and Aangat Tayo have been predicted of landing party
list seats each in a survey of voter preference for party lists
conducted by the Social Weather Station.
Bits and pieces of information reveal a government hand in the background
of these party lists. Most were formed by, and are identified with,
certain personalities in government, or their relatives.
Ahon Pinoy's top nominee is the son of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's
(GMA) publicist and Commission on Overseas Filipinos Chairman Dante
Ang. Byaheng Pinoy 's nominee is current Mandaluyong Vice Mayor
Arsenio Abalos, brother of Comelec Commissioner Benjamin Abalos.
Agbiag is registered under the name of Marcelo Farinas, Malacanang's
Office of External Affairs undersecretary.
Nevertheless, suspicions of government support and involvement among
party lists is not new. In 2004, Citizens Battle Against Corruption
(CIBAC) Rep. Blanca Lokin charged Bigkis Pinoy Movement as a party
list formed by presidential husband Mike Arroyo.
In the 2004 party list elections, President Arroyo endorsed ANAD,
Ang Laban ng Indiginong Filipino (ALIF),Trade Union Congress of
the Philippines (TUCP), Samahan ng mga Mangangalakal para sa Ikauunlad
ng Lokal na Ekonomya (SMILE) and Veterans Freedom Party (VFP). These
party lists were suspected of having benefited from electoral fraud
as they were among party lists mentioned in wire-tapped phone conversations
of controversial suspected vote-rigger former Comelec Commissioner
Virgilio Garcillano.
In the last party list elections, VFP and ALIF landed a seat each
in the 13th Congress. ALIF's representative is former Malacañang's
Office of Muslim Affairs Executive Director Acmad Tomawis. ANAD
also nearly landed a seat by garnering 1.9 percent of votes.
Nevertheless, the illegitimate government is not exactly short of
party lists which not only front but committed to pursue its narrow
political agenda to survive at all cost. House Speaker Jose de Venecia
(JDV) tried to secure this in forming the administration bloc of
incumbent party lists which pledged to commit themselves to the
administration's legislative agenda, as well as to mutually support
their electoral victory in the May 2007 polls.
But as the electorate has also become aware of party lists that
genuinely represent the interests of the masses, pro-administration
party lists may have a hard time winning in the coming party list
elections. Incumbent pro-administration party lists are Alagad,
ALIF, APEC (Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives), AVE
(Alliance of Volunteer Educators), VFP, Butil, and Coop-NATCCO.
Not one among these party lists landed in surveys of voter preference
for party lists in the coming elections.
Rightist party lists
Most controversial among party lists suspected of government involvement
and support are fascist-inclined and pro-charter change groups,
ANAD, Aksa, Kasangga and Banat. Except for Kasangga, the latter
party lists ran and lost in the previous party list elections.
ANAD is the public spy network of the military and is reportedly
grooming retired Army General Jovito Palparan to represent in Congress
members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGU),
para-military civilian auxiliary units that descended from vigilantes
and mercenaries.
Aksa is National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales's party list
organization of opportunist “yellow” labor leaders preaching
“demonization” of progressive party lists headed by
Bayan Muna.
Kasangga claims to represent micro-entrepreneurs whose only visible
enterprise in recent past are Malacañang-orchestrated anti-impeachment
rallies with banners screaming “trabaho, hindi gulo!”
(jobs, not destabilization) that outnumber paid, bus-ridden (i.e.
“hakot”), rally participants.
Banat is the party list of the Liga ng mga Barangay and Sigaw ng
Bayan, Malacañang-backed proponents of “charter change”
which led the controversial failed people's initiative petition
before the Comelec to amend the Constitution.
Banat’s nominee lawyer Raul Lambino of Sigaw ng Bayan is also
being charged by Rep. Rosales of leading Kasangga, Babae Ka and
Akbay Pinoy.
Babae Ka! is allegedly a member of Sigaw ng Bayan and has “links"
with Malacañang’s Office of External Affairs (OEA).
OEA is believed to be “the office behind Sigaw." In the
recent survey of the Social Weather Stations, the group recorded
a threshold rating of 1.5 percent.
Ang
Kasangga allegedly also has links with OEA and is associated with
the Beta Sigma Fraternity whose president is former assemblyman
Jose Tumbokan.
Akbay
Pinoy was accused of forcing Makati residents to sign their names
in support of Charter Change through people’s initiative.
Ahon
Pinoy, a party-list of overseas Filipino workers is allegedly headed
by Nicon Fameronag, director of the Labor and Employment’s
Information and Publication Service.
Ahon
Pinoy’s top nominee is Dante Ang’s son. Ang is chairman
of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
Aangat
Tayo is allegedly headed by Teddie Elson Rivera. Rivera is the executive
vice president of the government-owned Philippine International
Trading Corporation.
AGBIAG’s
secretary general is Marcelo Fariñas II, Malacañang’s
secretary for external affairs.
AKSA
or Aksyon Sambayanan is believed to be a “phony social democratic
movement" who they alleged of being affiliated with Partido
Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas. Norberto Gonzales, national
security adviser, is chairman of the PDSP.
Biyaheng
Pinoy is an association of tricyle drivers whose director is Arsenio
Abalos. Akbayan claimed Arsenio is brother of Elections Chairman
Benjamin Abalos.
Aangat
ang Kabuhayan or ANAK has Eduardo Octaviano as its number one nominee,
Akbayan said. He is connected with the Philippine National Police-National
Capital Region.
KAKUSA
allegedly has convicted child rapist and former Zamboanga del Norte
Rep. Romeo Jalosjos as its chairman emeritus. Its national president
is R. Dodong Canonigo. Kakusa is supported by the The Lamb of God
Foundation, an outreach program for elderly inmates said to be established
by Jalosjos.
A seat in Congress for any of these party lists portends a rightist
drift in the party list system. Alongside government orchestrated
moves of “crackdown” against progressive party lists
and the illegal arrest and detention of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran
and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, a trend appears to negate all
thread of authenticity to the country's party list system of representing
the masses.
Indeed, the shortest route is often lined with danger signals. If
allowed its course, it may signal the end of the Philippine party
list system and all notions of democratic governance by an ill-fated
regime.
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