Comelec to delist losing party-list groups

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it plans to delist party-list organizations that failed to secure a seat in the House of Representatives in two recent elections in the country.

“Patungkol sa existing party-lists na nakasali na sa mga nakaraang halalan, maglalabas ang Comelec ng resolution kung saan yung mga sumali at dalawang beses hindi nanalo, maaring matanggal na sa listahan ayon sa Party-list Act. Asahan nyo po na ilalabas ito ng Comelec (About existing party-lists that joined the recent polls, the Comelec will issue a resolution where those who joined and lost twice, they can be removed according to the Party-list Act. The Comelec will issue this soon)," Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing Monday. 

He said they are very stringent in accrediting groups for the party-list polls.  “Tinitingnan natin kung sila ba ay tunay sa representante ng kanilang sector na nais represent, at kung nako comply ba ang requirements ng Party-list Act at desisyon ng Korte Suprema (We are checking if they really represent the sector they would want to represent and if they comply with the requirements of the Party-list Act and the decision of the Supreme Court),” Laudiangco added. 

Under Republic Act 7941 or the Party-list System Act, only parties, organizations, or coalitions registered with the Comelec may participate in the party-list elections. 

The law said the registration of a party-list may be cancelled if it fails to participate in the last two preceding elections or fails to obtain at least 2 percent of the votes cast under the party-list system in the two preceding elections. 

Earlier, Comelec chairman George Garcia announced the plan to trim the number of party-list groups that would be allowed to join the 2025 midterm polls to around 130. 

He said out of the 200 applicants for registration, they have dismissed 130 petitions for registration, and have accredited only around 17 groups for next year’s polls. 

A total of 177 party-list organizations participated in the May 2022 elections. PNA