Migrante supports Comelec Reso

7 November 2009
PRESS RELEASE:

Migrante supports Comelec resolution to bare party-list nominees;
dares electoral body to bare process of de-listing.

Migrante Sectoral Party today expressed support for the Commission on Elections Resolution 8691 requiring party-lists running in the 2010 elections to bare their nominees in order to ensure that they represent marginalized sectors.

“It is just correct that partylists bare their nominees so that party-list organizations backed by the administration, which ran in the last elections, be exposed to the public as fraud and bereft of marginalized constituencies,” said Connie Bragas-Regalado, chairperson of Migrante Sectoral Party.

Bragas-Regalado was referring to the party-lists Kasangga ang Bantay, whose representatives are Lourdes Arroyo, President Arroyo’s sister-in-law, and notorious human rights violator Gen. Jovito Palparan, respectively.

At the same time, the group challenged Comelec to bare as well the process that the electoral body undertook to come up with an earlier resolution to de-list Migrante, along with 25 other party-lists.

“Since we are on the issue of transparency, the Comelec should also reveal the proceedings of the En Banc meeting where it decided to de-list Migrante and other party-lists. We demand this because no hearing was held before they issued the questionable resolution, in violation of the Party-list System Act,” Bragas-Regalado further said.

Migrante Party-list is protesting what it calls the Comelec’s “intentional misreading” of the Party-list System Act in order to prevent party-lists critical of the administration from joining the electoral race.

“If the Comelec wants to ensure that the party-list system is used for the truly marginalized, it should review the basis of Migrante’s de-listing. It is unfathomable for it to deny millions of Overseas Filipino Workers a chance for representation while giving the same chance to fraudulent party-list groups,” said Bragas-Regalado.

OFWs from Migrante Sectoral Party’s 23 chapters abroad, as well as their families here, yesterday launched an international e-mail and text barrage to urge Comelec commissioners to “Let Migrante Run” in the 2010 elections. As the start of the period for filing manifestations for intent to run approaches, the group vowed to intensify the campaign for OFW representation and against Migrante’s de-listing. ###

Reference:
Connie Bragas-Regalado,
Chairperson, 09272157392

Ailyn Abdula,
Media Officer, 09212708994