Comelec asked to disqualify Mikey as party-list rep

MANILA, Philippines - Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo filed a petition at the Commission on Elections seeking the disqualification of Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo as nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy (AGP) because he is a member of the First Family and not qualified as representative of a marginalized sector.

In a seven-page petition, Maza and Ocampo asked the Comelec to reject the young Arroyo’s nomination to become a sectoral representative and fulfill its duty of ensuring that only members of marginalized and underrepresented groups could become party-list nominees.

Party-list Rep. Luz Ilagan of the women’s group Gabriela supports the petition to disqualify Arroyo.

“Respondent (Arroyo) cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be considered a member of the marginalized sector and no logic can ever justify his nomination to represent AGP or any party-list for that matter,” Maza said.

“How can he, a member of the first family, represent tricycle drivers and security guards?” Ocampo added.Gabriela also accused Mikey Arroyo of exploiting the loopholes in the electoral system to be elected as representative of a marginalized sector even though his net worth is P99.2 million, which cannot be considered as the asset of someone belonging to a marginalized group.

“How and when Mikey Arroyo fancied himself as a security guard beats us,” said Ilagan as she described as shameless Arroyo’s nomination as representative of AGP to work for the welfare of security guards.

She said Gabriela urges the Comelec to disqualify Arroyo as AGP party-list nominee by invoking Section 9 of Republic Act 7941, which declares that a nominee must be a bona fide member of the party or organization that he seeks to represent.

She said that Arroyo’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net worth for 2008 was P99.2 million, an increase of 1,600 percent from his 2001 net worth of P5.7 million.

Rep. Arroyo defended his decision to be a nominee of AGP reminding his critics that he is not doing anything illegal.

“What needs to be answered here is whether my nomination as a party-list representative is illegal or not,” he said. “If they cannot prove it is illegal, then they should stop all these attempts to block my candidacy and simply focus on their own campaign.”

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo, a retired Supreme Court justice who is a province-mate of the Arroyos, conceded that there are no clear guidelines governing the qualification for party-list nominees, even if the party-list system is meant for the marginalized sectors.

“With no clear guidelines governing the nomination for party-list nominees, chairman Melo said that it is up to the people to decide in choosing the right representatives for the marginalized sectors,” argued Arroyo.

“Vox populi, vox Dei! The voice of the people is the voice of God,” he stressed. “If the people will decide against me, then it is the will of the people and I have to respect that.”

The young Arroyo, who is the incumbent representative of the second district of Pampanga, is the number one nominee of AGP while the group’s second nominee is Dennis Pineda, the outgoing mayor of Lubao, Pampanga. Pineda is the son of alleged jueteng lord Bong Pineda.

President Arroyo had filed her certificate of candidacy to run for representative of Pampanga’s second district after her son Mikey gave in to her.

Mrs. Arroyo’s second son Dato is seeking to represent the newly created second district of Camarines Sur.

Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, the brother-in-law of the President, is also seeking re-election while a fifth member of the Arroyo clan, Maria Lourdes Arroyo, the sister of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, is running as nominee of the Kasangga party-list group.

Malacañang called on critics of Mikey Arroyo and his nomination as party-list representative to stop looking at the Palace for answers and instead address queries to the sector being represented.

In a briefing held at Malacañang, presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo refused to comment on the questions raised about why Arroyo is representing security guards.

“You may wish to ask the security guards if they consider him a proper representative. We cannot speak for the security guards,” Saludo said.

Comelec sets party-list nominee guidelines

The Comelec yesterday approved a resolution detailing the rules on the disqualification of the nominees of party-list nominees.

In Resolution 8807, the Comelec said had set nine criteria that a party-list nominee must posses to qualify.

Among these criteria is that a nominee should be a “bona fide member” of the party-list organization for at least 90 days preceding Election Day.

The resolution showed that a nominee should “belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors, the sectoral party, organization, political party or coalition he seeks to represent.”

The Comelec also wanted a nominee to be “able to contribute to the formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will benefit the nation as a whole.”

The agency will require the party-list groups and their nominees to submit “documentary evidence” to prove that the nominees truly belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sector/s, the sectoral party, organization, political party or coalition they seek to represent.

The evidence may include the track record of the parties, proof that the nominees “truly adhere” to the advocacies of the organization and certification that the nominee is a bona fide member. – With Evelyn Macairan, Sheila Crisostomo, Michael Punongbayan, Marvin Sy, Delon Porcalla, Ding Cervantes, Michelle Zoleta, Perseus Echeminada, Rainier Allan Ronda, Aurea Calica