Bastardizing the Party-list System of the Philippines 101

hat is really a marginalized sector?

This is the very issue that the poll office and many different camps are asking as the Party-list System in the Philippines is callously and vividly bastardized by the very same traditional politicians who had already been seen with contempt by the voting public.

Unfortunately, with the admission of the Commission on Elections that there does not exists a well-defined article in the law about party-list system of who is and what really is a marginalized sector, this has opened the floodgates for opportunists, traditional politicians and recycled politicos who wants to perpetuate in power and find more chances to fatten their checkbooks.

Are the hundreds of party-list groups written on the ballots really representing any marginalized sector?

This is the only country that everyone, everything and all groups could now easily become a marginalized sector and have a representation in Congress.

Imagine. How can Buhay Partylist be a marginalized sector when it is obviously the political arm of El Shaddai; and Mike Velarde is one of their nominees?

How can a group that says they are pushing for children’s rights run ads on giant TV networks (they are running the same ad Manny Villar used) that costs millions of pesos be a marginalized sector? And this leads us also to connect the dots that political camps and candidates are also seen to be using the partylist system and groups to circumvent the law and further their political agenda and clout to power and government control.

Not only that everyone now can easily become a marginalized sector, but also the very flawed and abused system of nomination is already one big reason for people to cry foul and ask for a total review and amendment of this particular bill on party-list system.

Imagine. The incompetent Angelo Reyes is nominated; same with Mikey Arroyo who had never experienced of fully understand the plight of security guards; the doctor to the stars Dr. Manny Calayan; the military officers who were implicated on the election fraud scandal “Hello Garci” are also nominated; cabinet secretaries of Gloria Arroyo are nominated; and many more for sure to be revealed in the coming days.

And all these party-list groups, hundreds of them are all racing on top of the ballot by starting with number 1 or some crazy letter abbreviations starting with the letter A to be easily voted; and most nominees were only picked from somewhere which had not actually been members of the group to have a full understanding of their plight and situation.

This makes me ponder: How about Pinoy bloggers filing for party-list accreditation? That will only happen if bloggers had already succumb to political greed and financial ambitions.

Crazy idea, but with crazy people working around to circumvent the law by bastardizing the party-list system, no wonder that some got so easily be infected.

What is your thought of our present partylist system? Any party-list group that you can identify to still be truly representing the marginalized sector of the Philippine society?