Comelec finds 14 additional party-list groups qual

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) found 14 more party-list groups qualified to have run in the recent elections, in its second partial report in compliance with a Supreme Court order.

The poll body, using an eight-point criteria the High Court earlier set to assess whether a party-list group is qualified or not, found the following groups qualified, out of 50 covered by the second report:

Abanse Pinay, Adhikain at Kilusan ng Ordinaryong Tao Para sa Lupa, Pabahay at Hanapbuhay (Tao), Alagad, Senior Citizens/Elderly Sectoral Party, All Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ATUCP), Maritime Party, Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW Labor Party,

Aniban ng mga Magsasaka, Mangingisda at Manggagawa sa Agriculture-Katipunan, Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Kabataan ng Sambayanan Para sa Kaunlaran (Anakbayan), Alyansa ng mga May Kapansanan sa Pilipinas, Mindanao Federation of Small Coconut Farmers’ Organization Inc., Womenpower Inc., Aggrupation and Alliance of Farmers and Fisherfolks of the Philippines and All Workers Alliance Trade Unions (AWATU).

Though found qualified, these groups, however, failed to get two percent of the total party-list votes to have a sectoral seat in the House of Representatives.

In its first compliance report, the Comelec found seven of 24 party-list groups qualified. Of the seven, only three — Bayan Muna, Akbayan and Butil — won sectoral seats and their nominees have been proclaimed.

There were a total of 162 party-list groups which took part in the May 14 elections.