ABANG Lingkod party-list finally got a seat in the House of Representatives after a failed try in 2010.
In a decision, the Supreme Court ordered the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proclaim Abang Lingkod since it garnered more than the required 200,000 votes.
The SC also said the group need not present its track record to show that they have championed the causes of marginalized sectors.
"It would thus be the height of injustice if the Court, in this certiorari action, would scrutinize the legitimacy of Abang Lingkod as a party-list group and the genuineness of its representation of the farmers and fisherfolk, and affirm the cancellation of its registration, when the issue is limited only to the track record of Abang Lingkod," the decision read, adding this requirement is no longer part of the accreditation process.
The group went to the SC when the Comelec disqualified them from participating in last May's elections.
But the High Court, which came out with new party-list accreditation guidelines in April, allowed Abang Lingkod to join the race. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)