SC tackles today petitions of 7 disqualified party-list groups

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) is set to tackle today petitions from seven more party-list groups that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified from next year’s elections.

The groups – Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad), Philippine Guardian Brotherhood Inc. (1Bro-PGBI), Guardians Nationalist Phils. Inc. (1Ganap/Guardians), Agapay ng Indigenous Peoples Rights Alliance Inc. (A-IPRA), Kaagapay ng Nagkakaisang Aguilang Pilipinong Magsasaka (Ako Agila), Alab ng Mamamahayag (Alam) and Bantay – hope to get relief from the high court to be able to join the party-list polls.

They filed their respective petitions over the past week, apparently following the steps taken earlier by eight other groups that were able to secure last week a status quo ante order from the SC enjoining Comelec from implementing its disqualification orders against them.

Just like the earlier petitioners, the seven groups also cited the poll body’s alleged grave abuse of discretion and violation of their right to due process in disqualifying them through its new standard and definition for “marginalized and under-represented sectors.”

Alam, a group of journalists composed of officers of the National Press Club which filed their petition yesterday afternoon, had a unique issue raised before the SC.

The Comelec disqualified the group for lack of track record, but Alam stressed that this issue is a “political question” which is beyond the authority of the poll body.

“In politics, track record is often used to determine the likelihood of how a candidate would perform in office when elected. But it does not mean that a new politician who runs for the first time will not do excellently when voted for,” Alam argued in its petition filed by lawyer Berteni Cataluna Causing.