3rd disqualification case filed vs Mikey

MANILA, Philippines - More disqualification cases against presidential son Rep. Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo are being lodged with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Yesterday, party-list group Akbayan filed the third petition before the Comelec legal department seeking to prevent President Arroyo’s eldest son and incumbent Pampanga congressman from participating in the May 2010 party-list elections.

In the complaint, Akbayan said that Arroyo’s party Ang Galing Pinoy failed to submit to the Comelec the required documentary evidence to prove that they truly belong to the marginalized sector.

“Considering that under the law, such documentary evidence must be submitted not later than March 29, then Ang Galing Pinoy is already in clear and flagrant breach of requirement,” Akbayan chair Loretta Ann Rosales said.

Rosales is asking the Comelec to immediately declare the disqualification of the nominees of Ang Galing party-list for failure to comply with the mandatory requirement provided under Comelec rules.

According to Rosales, Comelec legal department chief Ferdinand Rafanan himself admitted that Arroyo’s party-list group has not complied with the regulation to submit documentary proof for party-list nominees.

Akbayan said the Comelec cannot have double standards and must not waive the rules even for a presidential son.

Sectoral representatives Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo and Bayan Muna party-list group previously sought the disqualification of the young Arroyo, whom they said does not belong to a marginalized sector, being a member of the First Family.

Meanwhile, the Comelec said eight party-list groups have submitted two sets of nominees.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said they would evaluate which faction and set of nominees would be recognized.

“These groups submitted two sets of nominees so the Comelec will have to sort this out,” he added.

These groups are 1Guardians Nationalist of the Philippines Inc. (1Ganap / Guardians), Aba lIongo Inc., Abakada Guro, Anak Mindanao, Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad), Biyayang Bukid, Butil Farmers Party and Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption.

Under its rules of procedure, the Comelec will be the one to determine which set will be recognized as nominees.

In the 2007 party-list election, the Comelec had also been saddled with the same problem.

The Buhay Hayaan Yumabong party-list group, which was leading that time, also had two groups of nominees.

Out of the 187 groups listed in the official ballots, only 175 were able to submit their nominees before the March 26 deadline. With Sheila Crisostomo