MANILA - A poll watchdog on Monday flagged party-lists running in the 2019 elections whose nominees are either recent or incumbent administration officials.

Kontra Daya cited groups like Pambansang Nagkakaisa sa Paggawa at Agrikultura whose first nominee is Cotabato board member Socrates Piñol, brother of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.

The watchdog also cited Gawing Una Tagumpay ng Ordinaryong Mamamayan or "GUTOM" party-list's first nominee is Rex Anthony Villegas a former Nayong Filipino board member.

Villegas was fired, alongside other Nayong Pilipino board members, last August after President Rodrigo Duterte found a lease they approved "grossly disadvantageous" to the state.

Meanwhile, GUTOM party-list's third nominee, Maria Katrina Nicole Contacto, was a legal counsel of Duterte and the chair of the Youth Affairs Committee of PDP-Laban, Kontra Daya noted.

Hugpong Federal Movement of the Philippines' first nominee is Peter Laviña, the former National Irrigation Administration chief who resigned amid corruption allegations, Kontra Daya said.

Other groups flagged by the poll watchdog are ABAKADA, Global Workers and Family Federation, Philippine Commission on Women, the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa, or RAM.

"Some nominees appear to have become overnight members and nominees of their party-list groups, particularly during the period of the filing of candidacies, thus raising questions regarding their track record and advocacy," Kontra Daya said.

The poll watchdog also questioned the Duterte Youth party-list, the only group that uses "Duterte" in its name, which could be used for political gain, instead of truly representing the youth.

"The group is also associated with Duterte appointee Ronald Cardema of the National Youth Commission which raises questions on the role of the government agency in the affairs of the party-list group," Kontra Daya added.

The poll watchdog said Comelec can still look into several issues related to the party-list groups, especially into the track records of their nominees.