ABA Ilonggo Party-list group pledges to carry the voice of the Ilonggos if they could gain seats in the House of Representatives.
Anthony Occeño, second nominee of ABA Ilonggo said the true essence of the party-list is to represent sectors that lack well-defined political constituency such as the farmers, vendors, and fisher folks.
Aside from making a wise choice in the May 10, 2010 elections, voters should also make the right decision in choosing the party-list they will support so that the marginalized sectors will be truly represented in Congress, Occeño said.
There are 187 party-list groups vying for the May 10 elections. Each voter should only vote for one party-list representative based on the guidelines of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Occeño said there is an estimated six million Ilonggos scattered all over the country and he believes that their group will gain enough support in the coming election.
Registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2006, ABA Ilonggo, he said, focuses its platform of government on how to provide alternative livelihood, better health system, and educational support services for the Ilonggos.
A pro-Ilonggo party-list representative can provide supplemental support to congressmen in the region to fast track development and progress in Ilonggo-speaking regions.
Occeño said they are aggressively campaigning in Western Visayas which has an estimated five-million registered voters.
Negros Occidental tops the list in the region with 1.7 million voters; Iloilo, 1.6 million; Antique, 600,000; Capiz, 500,000; Aklan, 400,000; and Guimaras, 80,000.
For the party-list to gain a seat in the House of Representatives, it must garner a minimum of two percent of the total votes cast for the party-list system. The votes cast for the party-list organizations are totaled nationwide. (Teresa Ellera-Dulla)