Akbayan, Bayan Muna can run

MANILA, Philippines - Akbayan and Bayan Muna received the approval of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday to run in the 2013 polls.

The vote was 4-2-1: Commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Elias Yusoph, Armando Velasco and Christian Robert Lim found no reason to disqualify Akbayan and Bayan Muna; Chairman Sixto Brillantes and Commissioner Lucenito Tagle dissented; and Commissioner Grace Padaca took no part in the voting as she was not around during the initial deliberation.

Brillantes said he believes Akbayan and Bayan Muna, like Ako-Bicol, are not qualified to participate in next year’s election.

The two groups are running under the party-list system without representing any particular sector, he added.

Sarmiento said the accreditation of Akbayan and Bayan Muna was retained as they took into consideration their “track records.”

Compared to Ako-Bicol, Akbayan and Bayan Muna have “long track records,” he added.

Sarmiento cited the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on Ang Bagong Bayani vs Comelec in June 26, 2001.

“Let them come out from the cold and let them participate in mainstream politics,” he said.

The SC ruling upholds the provisions in the Constitution “to give power to the people, not only by giving more law to those who have less in life, but more so by enabling them to become veritable lawmakers themselves.”

Sarmiento said the issue on Akbayan members being in the government is not in the eight-point guidelines under the SC ruling on Ang Bagong Bayan.

“Having appointees is not in the guidelines so I didn’t consider that,” he said.

“I took into consideration the guidelines and their track records when I made my decision. It was a long agonizing decision making and finally I decided that both should participate.”

The approval of Akbayan and Bayan Muna brings to seven the number of party-list groups declared qualified to run in next year’s election.

The others are Pilipinos with Disabilities (PWD); Ang Nars Inc.; Piston Land Transport Coalition Inc. (PISTON); Aagapay sa Matatanda, Inc. (AMA); Ating Agapay Sentrong Samahan ng mga Obrero, Inc. (AASENSO).

Meanwhile, six more party-list groups temporarily avoided disqualification after the SC decided to hear their petitions questioning the Comelec’s action yesterday.

They are: 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) and Bantay.

The six are covered by the SC’s status quo ante order (SQA) issued last Nov.13 enjoining the Comelec from disqualifying eight other party-list groups.

Reacting to the SC ruling, Brillantes said yesterday: “That’s okay. We’re filing our comment on the case of Supreme Court on the first eight (party-list groups) by Friday. We will be meeting with the Solicitor General about this. We are going to finalize our answer on Monday. For me there is no problem as long as it is just status quo. It will have no effect if it is just status quo.” The SQA now covers 14 party-list groups that would again be included in the list to be used in the 2013 polls.The SC has directed the Comelec to submit a comment to the petitions in 10 days from receipt of notice.

The status quo ante initially covered Ako Bicol (AKB), Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC), 1st Consumer’s Alliance for Rural Energy Inc. (1CARE) and Alliance for Rural Concerns (ARC), Aksyon Magsasaka-Partido Tinig ng Masa (Akma-PTM), Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong na Walang Sala Inc. (Kakusa), Alliance for Rural and Agrarian Reconstruction Inc. (Araro) and Association for Righteousness Advocacy on Leadership (ARAL).

The status quo ante order means the poll body should include the 14 in the list of party-list groups to be printed in the ballots starting Jan. 20 pending resolution of their petitions.

However, the SC has yet to rule on the merits of their petitions.

The Comelec is set to finalize next month the list of candidates for the printing of the ballots.

The SC has three more weeks in session before it goes into a lengthy Christmas and New Year break from Dec. 12 to Jan. 9 next year.

When in recess, the SC usually does not act on petitions and pleadings unless they warrant urgent actions.

Another party-list group, Alab ng Mamamahayag (Alam), a group of journalists comprised of officers of the National Press Club, was not granted the same relief.

– With Edu Punay