Casiño leads Bayan Muna nominees, vows to protect integrity of the party-list system

Casiño leads Bayan Muna nominees,
vows to protect integrity of the party-list system

Bayan Muna Party-list nominees, led by Representatives Teddy Casiño, Neri Colmenares and peasant lawyer Joven Laura, trooped to the Comelec today to submit Bayan Muna’s list of nominees, vowing to "protect the party-list system from Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s self-serving agenda in the 15th Congress."

Rep. Colmenares said, “we caution the public that the congressional bid of Pres. Gloria Arroyo, her two in-laws and her two sons run as district and part list representatives, the accreditation of various Malacañang-backed party-lists and many of her ex-Cabinet members’ candidacy for district representatives, are all moves to support the perpetuation of GMA’s rule after her term as president.”

“Arroyo and her allies may have succeeded in exploiting the loopholes in the party-list system at this point but we cannot allow these maneuvers to prosper. We will file a disqualification case against Mikey Arroyo and also against the bogus party-lists backed by Malacañang. Sinusuportahan namin ang petisyong inihapag kahapon nina Reps. Liza Maza at Satur Ocampo at maghahanda rin kami ng mga petisyon upang ipadiskwalipika ang mga pekeng party-list na pakawala ni Arroyo,” Colmenares declared.

Bayan Muna 3rd nominee Atty. Laura lamented that “sinisira at niyuyurakan ng kampo ni Arroyo ang diwa ng sistemang party-list na para lang sana sa mga sektor na api at dehado sa pulitika. Arroyo’s camp has desecrated the party-list system.”

Laura said, “we expect the Comelec to disqualify the fake party-lists and their unworthy nominees as Comelec had issued its guidelines for the qualifications of party-list nominees. According to the Comelec en banc resolution, nominees must belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sector/s, the sectoral party, organization, political party or coalition he seeks to represent. The nominees should also prove their “active participation” in their party-list’s advocacies.”

Rep. Casiño vowed that Bayan Muna will continue protecting the party-list system from Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s agenda in the 15th Congress. “Makakaasa kayo sa Bayan Muna na patuloy naming ipagtatanggol ang sistemang party-list laban sa masasamang balakin ni Arroyo sa ika-15 Kongreso,” concluded Casiño. ###