Voters should be vigilant against supporting party-list groups that champion "dubious" causes instead of marginalized and underrepresented sectors, a poll watchdog said Thursday.

Some party-list bets weeded out from an initial list of 185 championed free Wi-Fi and prevention of power blackouts, noted Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao. Of the remaining party-list bets, some are pushing for patriotism and nationalism, he added.

"It's too broad and too nebulous," he said of these policies.

Some party-lists are also "personality-based", said former Commission on Elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal.

"For example, a particular individual is not running anymore in a district, or as governor, mayor, papasok sila sa (they will enter a) party-list," he told ANC.

Some incumbent officials also field relatives to the party-list system, said Arao.

"The hijacking and bastardization are quite apparent insofar as the party-list system is concerned to the point that the intent of the 1995 Party-list System Act has been quite defeated," he said.

• EXCLUSIVE: Political clans ‘hijack’ party-list

Larrazabal urged voters to secure Comelec's list of party-list examinees and examine their track records.

• INFOGRAPHIC: Party-list nominees who belong to political families