Lawyer backs random listing of party-list groups

MANILA, Philippines - An election lawyer backed yesterday the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in its plan for the random listing of party-list groups in next year’s elections.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal said the poll body has not violated any law or any right of party-list group in having their names listed in ballots based on a raffle, and not in alphabetical order.

“It is within the power of the Comelec to institute such reformative poll measure in order to insure a more credible election and to be fair to those party-list groups who honestly came up with a name or acronym that befits its organization, as compared to those who took advantage of being first in the list by using names beginning with the letter ‘A’ or number ‘1’ although very clearly not connected with nor relevant to their cause or organization,” he said.

“And this is the reason why almost 60 percent of the party-list groups have names starting with A or number 1,” he said.

Macalintal said the new system is very innovative and the Comelec should be lauded for coming up with this resolution that will put an end to the apparent bad faith of some party-list groups in using names starting with “A.”

“If these people cannot be trusted on such small matter, more so that they could not be entrusted with the higher responsibility like being members of Congress,” he said.       

Macalintal said the claim of some party-list groups that random listing will make it difficult for them to campaign is baseless.