As of yesterday afternoon, the Commission on Elections had proclaimed 30 of 32 party-list groups eligible for new or additional representation in Congress. This was in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling, for immediate implementation, which upheld their victory in the mid-term elections in 2007. The Comelec proclamation paves the way for the oath-taking of the parties’ congressional representatives. If we are to go by the SC’s recent decision on the Limkaichong case, even if the high tribunal reverses its original ruling, it can no longer unseat the new party-list representatives after the swearing-in; only the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal can then kick out its own members.
Among the new representatives is a sister of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, Ma. Lourdes Arroyo, who is representing vendors. This raises questions about the way the party-list system has been turned into a travesty of its original objective, which is to provide congressional representation to marginalized sectors. The party must not only represent a marginalized sector; its congressional representative must also be a genuine member of that sector.
The government, major political parties and even religious groups have also twisted the objective of the party-list system, setting up front organizations that are supposed to represent a marginalized sector and then sending one of their own to Congress. “Marginalized” has taken on bizarre new meanings. Which “marginalized” sector is retired general Jovito Palparan supposed to represent?
The SC ruling has raised other problems and questions. There is no budget this year and no offices at the House for 32 new representatives. Can the nation afford to pay 32 more representatives hungry for “pork” and other perks? There is also a constitutional provision limiting the number of House seats to 250. This Congress had 241 members; three have died, leaving 238. With 32 new members, that’s still 20 more than the number allowed by the Constitution.
The SC ruling has created confusion not only at the House but also at the Comelec, which wants SC clarification on the number of voters used to decide which parties won additional House seats. As for the continuing efforts of Malacañang’s allies to railroad Charter change, the number of required votes to pass any resolution for Cha-cha should also go up by three-fourths of the 32 new members, or 24. Cha-cha opponents are still unsure if this development is in their favor. At best, the opponents can hope that the Cha-cha train will be delayed by the need to clarify several points in the SC ruling.