Party Lists Used as a BackDoor by Traditional Politicians to Congress

With so many party list vying for positions in congress, it is no doubt that it is now being used as an alternative way for some traditional politicians to return to Congress. This could be used by some groups to lobby for their personal interests. It is noted that some of these so called "Party List" were not actually representing the actual minority or underprivileged sector. There is one party which was able to place more than 10 million TV ad but they represent poor children.

The head of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Henrietta de Villa urged voters to be careful in voting for party lists by examining the background of their representatives. "Party-list now has deviated from the intention of the law, the spirit of the law ... so the real marginalized [groups] lose a chance to win. She contends that there are many bogus party list who were able to get the approval of the Comelec.

This would just mean that the chances of legitimate party lists representing the marginalized sector are affected. other groups such as Kontra Daya also filed a petition to the Comelec to remove from the list some of the party list associated to the administration. These are Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA), Adhikain ng mga Dakilang Anak ng Maharlika (ADAM), Agbiag Timpuyog Ilocano (AGBIAG), Babae para sa Kaunalara (BABAE KA), League of Youth for Peace and Development (LYPAD), and Kalahi Advocates for Overseas Filipinos (KALAHI). There are many others who are known to be founded and managed by some politicians especially those who already served the maximum term in Congress.

However, the Comelec already printed the ballots including the party lists being in question. They said that if these group will be disqualified, the votes casted for them will be disregarded.