Gays seek party-list accreditation anew

MANILA, Philippines - The gay rights group Ang Ladlad has come out of the closet once again to seek recognition as a legitimate party-list organization by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The group led by Danton Remoto filed a petition before the Comelec yesterday, urging the poll body to allow them to participate in the 2010 elections.

Remoto said their group represents gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders that account for 10 percent of the total 43.5 million registered voters nationwide.

The group sought anew to be recognized as a party-list organization, two years after the Comelec junked their petition for accreditation citing the failure to comply with the legal requirements of national membership.

Remoto this time argued that Ang Ladlad has sufficient membership to mount a national campaign.

He insisted their advocacy to promote gay rights is legitimate and thus they should be allowed to participate in next year’s elections.

Remoto said the reason why they formed Ang Ladlad in September 2003 is to reclaim the lost rights of gays and lesbians because of public discrimination against them.

Remoto is hoping to secure a seat in Congress and file a measure to seek equal opportunities for gays and lesbians.

Remoto is also pushing for the repeal of the Anti-Vagrancy Law, which he said is commonly used by unscrupulous policemen for extortion of gays.

A group claiming to represent workers in the showbiz and media industry also sought accreditation before the Comelec.

The Alyansang ng Media at Showbiz (AMS) said they would champion the welfare and rights of the workers from showbiz and media who have been neglected by the government.

AMS president Rolly Gonzalo said writers, editors, cameramen, photographers, production assistants, technical crew, and other employees of the broadcast and print media are included in their group.

Gonzalo said AMS would ensure that workers from the entertainment and media industry would get the proper benefits and privileges.