Comelec should disqualify ANAD, a military-backed pseudo-party-list group
Bayan Muna filed with Comelec a petition to disqualify the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) party-list group from participating in the 2010 party-list election for violating the Party-list System Act (Republic Act 7941).
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño asserts that ANAD violated the standards set by the Party-list Law and jurisprudence because it failed to reach the 2% required votes in the 2001 and 2004 elections (and even in the 2007 elections) and that ANAD itself admits its non-representation of the marginalized and underrepresented sectors.
The petition states: "In the 2001 party-list elections, the National Alliance for Democracy (hereinafter referred to as NAD), founded and led by Pastor Alcover Jr. ran and lost its bid in the party-list election garnering only 49,147 votes or 0.3251% according to Comelec canvass records. Failing in its first bid for the party list election and mindful that they will be disqualified if they ran and lost as NAD in the 2004 elections, NAD and its leaders renamed the group the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy or ANAD. ANAD though retained the same anti-communist advocacy as NAD, and the same leadership, that of Pastor Alcover. For all intents and purposes, ANAD was NAD, albeit parading in a pretty new dress. Not surprisingly, since it was merely NAD in costume, ANAD again failed to garner the required two percent vote in the 2004 elections garnering 1.91 % of the votes according to the Comelec Canvass of the 2004 elections. In fact, it managed to surreptitiously run in 2007, and again dismally failed to get the required 2% party list votes when it garnered a mere 1.1% according to the Comelec Canvass of the 2007 elections for a 3 election losing streak."
Casiño said "the Comelec has jurisdiction to disqualify ANAD as a candidate in the party list elections not only in the exercise of its plenary constitutional powers to implement clean and credible elections in the country, but also in the exercise of its moto proprio powers under Section 6 of RA 7941 or the Party list System Act."
Casiño added that "ANAD belongs to the military and the government and does not represent any of the marginalized sectors as provided by law and must therefore be disqualified." He explained that ANAD's main intention in Congress is not to represent the marginalized and under represented but merely to harass progressive party list groups.
A Philippine studies paper in the US Library of Congress points to ANAD as a vigilante group and a front of the military. Not only did its founder Pastor Alcover admit to founding, Alsa Masa, the dreaded armed vigilante group organized military, but he even traced ANAD to that vigilante group in an article by ANAD Mindanao Bureau.
The petition filed by Bayan Muna further states: "Not only was NAD, and later ANAD, an armed vigilante group, but it is a government concoction in violation of the Supreme Court doctrine in BAYAN MUNA vs Comelec which disqualified government organized party list organizations like “Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga” (MAD). Worse, it is alleged to be funded by “large business” which makes it impossible for ANAD to represent the poor."
"Pastor Alcover owns a large security agency with 700 security guards. He also owns a placement agency which provided 3,000 workers for the Century Canning plant in General Santos city. These are not only large businesses, but the nature of his business shows that ANAD’s number 1 nominee can never pretend to represent the workers and the other marginalized sectors."
"Both ANAD and its nominees, particularly, Pastor Alcover should be disqualified because they do not represent nor do they belong to the marginalized and underrepresented."
Bayan Muna is working on its petition to disqualify another fake, military-backed party-list group known as Bantay party-list.###
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