MANILA — A total of 142 organizations applying as party-list groups before the Commission on Elections have been rejected, its chairman said Monday.

“At ito ay maaring madagdagan pa sa mga susunod na araw. Sapagkat may mga pipirmahan pa kaming mga resolusyon sa kasalukuyan,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said Monday.

Bulk of the rejected groups do not have a Constitution and by-laws, which are a main requirement to a party-list or political organizations.

Many also failed to submit their list of members who support the group’s decision to join the party-list race, Garcia said.

“Minsan mali yung authority na nakapirma doon. Hindi naman pala yun ang presidente mismo ang nakapirma, o kaya naman yung mismong adbokasiya, nalalaman namin, may mga nadidiskubre kami, peke pa yung mga dokumentong piniprisinta sa amin. Saan ka naman nakakita, magpi-present ng mga pictures na kuno ay kanilang proyekto, yun pala eh proyekto ng ibang organisasyon. Madali namang i-Google para makita,” Garcia said.

Others identify their camp as a “sectoral organization,” but cannot pinpoint a specific sector, while some say that theirs is a political party, but still want to participate in the legislative elections.

“Paano nagkaganun? Hindi ba sabi ng Korte Suprema, pag party-list ka na, at ikaw ay political party, hindi ka na dapat magpapatakbo ng mga congressman sa distrito. Kasi nga, mare-represent ka na ng party-list, minsan yung naga-appear sa mismong hearing, hindi naman masagot yung mga dokumentong isinubmit (submit)sa amin,” Garcia said.

Adding: “Ibig sabihin hindi yung sila gumawa (ng dokumento)... o kaya ay gawa-gawa lang yung organization para lang may maipa-accredit kahit na hindi nage-exist ng matagal na yung party-list.”

The Commission en Banc is giving its Clerk of Court until this week to finalize its list of accredited party-list grpups, Garcia said.

Come October 1 to 8, the accredited party-list groups, when filing their Certificate of Candidacy, will be also required to submit their final 10 nominees, Garcia said.

HEALTH WORKERS GROUP ACCREDITED

Meantime, the Comelec has finally accredited the Health Workers’ Party-list group as a legitimate organization fit to run in next year’s elections.

Interviewed at the sideline of their VITRO, Inc inspection Monday, Garcia explained that the Commission en Banc’s reversal of its earlier ruling, junking the application of the Health Workers’ Party-list group, was mainly because of the group’s success in completing its required documents.

“Nakita po naming, nung mag-file sila ng Motion for Reconsideration, na nakumpleto na nila yung mga dokumentong hinahanap po namin nung una na dinenay (deny) namin, dinismiss namin yung kanilang petisyon,” Garcia explained.

“At sa isang banda, sila ang mga frontliners natin, magandang mapagbigyan din, magkaroon sila ng boses, kung saka-sakali sa Kongreso, o kaya naman  mag-participate sa ating halalan,” he added.

In the end he said, it will still be up to the Filipino electorate to choose their preferred party-list group on May 12, 2025.

As of this writing, around 41 new party-list groups are now in the official list of the Comelec’s accredited organizations, Garcia said, adding that such number is still lower than the 2022 elections’ more or less 70 approved party-list groups.

“Hindi na po namin pakialaman yung mg ana-accredit na before at nakapag-participate na dati... ngayon may mga nire-resolve lang kami na iilang mga issue, katulad ng mga party-list na nakakuha ng TRO sa Korte Suprema nung nakaraang eleksyon na hanggang ngayon, wala pang lifting ng TRO. So, nire-resolve namin ang gagawin sa mga party-list na iyan,” Garcia said.

The Comelec, he added, is also trying to arrive a decision on how they would treat party-list groups who have succeeded in seeking a TRO from the High Tribunal, but using the “wrong form.”

“Mukhang yung nabanggit ninyong party-list ay magkakaroon kami ng pormal na resolution tungkol sa bagay na yan. Sapagkat ang katanungan, nakakuha ng TRO, tama ba yung nai-file na form?,” Garcia pointed out, in reference to the “FPJ Panday Bayanihan” party-list group’s case as an example.

“Nasa tamang form ba? Kasi kung hindi rin lang tama ang form, hindi rin naming yung tatanggapin,” Garcia stressed.