Disqualification of Senior Citizens, 4 others final - Comelec

MANILA - The disqualification of five party-list groups that participated in the 2013 mid-term elections is "final and executory," according to a Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution promulgated on Friday.

The resolution states that the cancellation of the registration of Senior Citizens, Cocofed, Abang Lingkod, Binhi, and Anad is final.

It says that even if these groups filed petitions for certiorari before the Supreme Court (SC) praying for the immediate issuance of a TRO or preliminary injunction immediately after receiving notice of their disqualification, the SC to date has not acted on their petitions for a temporary restraining order.

This means that the votes they received, along with those of 7 other disqualifed groups, won't be counted in tallying the final party-list race results.

Winning groups like Senior Citizens will also not be proclaimed.

"Section 1 Rule 7 of Resolution No. 9366 promulgated on February 21, 2013 authorizes the suspension of the Rules or any portion thereof in the interest of justice and in order to obtain the speedy disposition if all matters pending before it," the resolution says.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. had said the poll body will proclaim all the winning party-list groups and the number of seats each will get on Monday next week.

The Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, proclaimed the first batch of winning party-list groups on Friday.

The proclaimed groups were those that got at least 2 percent of votes cast in the party-list elections based on results canvassed so far.

The Comelec has not yet released official figures to the media.

Each of the following groups is already guaranteed a seat in the 16th Congress:

BUHAY
A TEACHER
BAYAN MUNA

1-CARE
AKBAYAN
AKB

GABRIELA
OFW FAMILY
ABONO

COOP-NATCCO
AGAP
CIBAC

MAGDALO
AN WARAY

On Monday next week, the poll body will proclaim the other winning groups that will be given the remaining 44 of the 58 seats reserved for party-list representatives in Congress.

Some of the 14 groups that have been proclaimed today may get additional seats based on a formula set by the Supreme Court.

A group may get up to three seats if it has more than 2 percent of votes.

The Coalition of Association of Senior Citizens in the Philippines--which ranked 10th in partial results-was not included in the initial proclamation because the Comelec disqualified it along with 11 other groups.

Senior Citizens and three other groups have pending petitions asking the Supreme Court to reverse the Comelec's decision.

Brillantes said that if the SC does not issue any ruling on Monday, the Comelec will proclaim the remaining party-list groups without considering the votes cast for parties that have been disqualified.