House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, on Tuesday filed a measure proposing to restore the integrity of a genuine party-list system by preventing opportunists and their political operators from exploiting and abusing it.
De Lima is pushing to amend Republic Act 7941, or the “Party-List System Act,” by filing House Bill (HB) 7205, or the “Ang Totoong Party-List Act,” to ensure that party-list seats are only reserved for those who truly belong and represent the marginalized and underrepresented sectors.
“This bill aims to preserve the foundation of the party-list system as a genuine instrument of social justice, inclusivity, and democracy. Hindi dapat bigyan ng puwang sa Kongreso ang mga huwad at nagpapanggap na party-list na ang tunay na pakay ay magpayaman, protektahan ang negosyo at palakasin ang poder ng pamilya at ng kanilang mga kaalyado sa politika (Fake and those pretending to be party-list whose real intention is to get rich, protect their business, and empower their families and political allies should not be given space in Congress,” she said in a statement.
“We must strengthen our democratic institutions, making them truly representative of the best interests of our people by preventing opportunists and their political operators from weaponizing and undermining the party-list system to further marginalize those who are already marginalized.”
HB 7205 sets explicit disqualifications for party-list nominees who are related to incumbent elected officials, excluding local councils and barangay officials, within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, or who are or have been government contractors, or related to government contractors within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity.
To uphold transparency and accountability, the proposed measure seeks a strengthened registration process of party-list groups by requiring an evidentiary public hearing before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to determine whether they truly represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors and whether their nominees genuinely belong to the sectors they seek to represent.
The measure also refines the qualifications and timelines for nomination to ensure that the nominees are bona fide members of their parties and sectors, and not mere political substitutes lacking genuine sectoral affiliation.
HB 7205 prohibits party-list organizations from using the names, abbreviations, or acronyms of government agencies, instrumentalities, and programs, and the titles, names, or initials of public figures and popular television and radio programs to avoid misleading the general public and misrepresenting the party-list, the government unit or program, the public figure, and the television or radio program.
Moreover, as a ground for cancellation of registration, the measure introduces the “manifest failure to represent” notion, defined as a failure of an incumbent party-list representative to file at least 50 percent of their legislative outputs that are thematically and predominantly concerning issues or matters particularly important to the concerned constituency or sector represented by the party-list organization in each Congress.
“Let us implement the true intent of the Constitution – for the party-list system to serve as a platform for marginalized sectors to be heard, not as a platform for traditional politicians and political dynasties to consolidate wealth and power,” De Lima said. (PNA)