THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared three other party-list organizations as winners in the recently-concluded May 10 elections.
In a two-page resolution, the Comelec sitting as National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) officially proclaimed 1-United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK), Advocacy For Teacher Empowerment Through Action, Cooperation And Harmony Towards Educational Reforms (A TEACHER), and Butil Farmers Party (BUTIL).
The groups were part of the 11 party-list organizations, whose proclamations have been deferred last May 31 due to pending cases filed against its nominees.
“The issue of disqualification of party-list nominees does not pertain to the qualification of an organization to participate in the party-list system of representation and should, therefore, not affect the entitlement of party-list organization to guaranteed additional seats,” said NBOC Resolution 10-025.
According to the figures of the NBoC, A TEACHER got 614,725 votes; BUTIL with 506,703 votes; and 1-UTAK garnered 220,002 votes.
They are entitled to one seat each in the House of Representatives.
With their proclamation, the number of occupied seats among party-list is now 36, out of the 57 available positions in the Lower House.
On May 31, the NBoC had proclaimed 26 winning organizations in the party-list race that will occupy the first 33 seats.
However, the commission said the nominees of the said parties has yet to occupy the seats as they have pending petitions that needs to be resolved.
The first nominees of both A TEACHER and 1-UTAK, namely Mariano Piamonte and Angelo Reyes, respectively, have pending disqualification cases while Butil’s two sets of nominees have not been decided.
The eight other party-list organizations with pending petitions before the commission are: Ako Bicol Political Party (AKO BICOL), Buhay Hayaan Yumabong (BUHAY), First Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy (1-CARE), Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC), LPG Marketers Association, Inc. (LPGMA), Ang Asosasyon Sang Mangunguma Nga Bisaya-Owa Mangunguma, Inc. (MBIS-OWA), Association Of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC), and Alliance For Nationalism And Democracy (ANAD). (FP/Sunnex)