CITING the constant criticisms it has been getting, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday, October 18, 2024, called on lawmakers to push for the complete overhaul of the Party-List System Law in the country.
In an interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said it would be best if Republic Act No. 7941 would be amended in order to make it more responsive to the requirements of party-list representation.
"In my opinion, it should be given a complete overhaul so that it can reflect the decisions of the Supreme Court, concerns on marginalized and underrepresented would be reflected, qualification of nominees, and even how to compute their representation in Congress," said Garcia.
"We really hope that it will be updated, revised, amended, and fixed, this party-list system, especially since it was passed way back in 1995," he added.
The poll chief said the overhaul is necessary given the numerous criticisms and allegations being faced by all party-list groups, their nominees, and even the Comelec.
"The issues, the problems, and the criticisms being thrown to party-list organizations are all rooted in this law that is being implemented by the Commission," said Garcia.
It was back in March 1995 when Republic Act No. 7941 or the Party-List System Act was signed into law by then President Fidel Ramos.
The law aims to promote proportional representation in the House of Representatives, through a party-list system of registered parties or organizations or coalitions of Filipinos belonging to marginalized and underrepresented sectors.
Since then, the party-list system has been criticized as being a backdoor entry to the House of Representatives by political clans, big businesses, and even incumbent government officials.
Even the computation for the party-list seat allocation has been the subject of several Supreme Court rulings. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)