IT IS GOOD that Commission on Elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon, a Negrense, has expressed support to calls to amend Republic Act No. 7941 or the Party-list System Act since the anti-political dynasty constitutional provision lacks an enabling law to deter members of political clans to use the party-list elections as a backdoor for their ambitions.
Several incumbent officials came out with statements castigating Guanzon and reminded her to abide by the 2013 Supreme Court ruling that allows established political parties and non-marginalized groups to participate in the party-list elections. The truth is that they are protecting their selfish interests. They are doing everything in their power to stifle the electoral process by discriminating against the marginalized sectors who seek societal change via the elections. Waged and salaried workers account for almost 43 million of our population and yet they are the least represented in Congress.
The stance of Commissioner Guanzon is refreshing. She seeks that our elections return to the spirit of as to why the party-list system was infused in our electoral process in the first place. We must make our electoral processes more inclusive. The marginalized sector must be allowed to vie for seats in Congress because discrimination and injustice has been molded and structured in our laws, making it impossible for democracy to work.
Another obstacle to the inclusivity of the electoral process is Senate Bill 911 (SB 911) that proposes to penalize those the Comelec may deem as nuisance candidates. It actually is discriminatory. The bill is elitist, to say the least. There should be no monopoly in public service. The barring of candidates from marginalized sections and even branding them as nuisance practically make elections an exclusive exercise of the rich and famous.
Penalizing poor candidates will further breed marginalization and social injustice. SB 911 is not only a mockery of the elections but a mockery of democracy as well.
If we are to truly reinforce the sanctity of our electoral processes, Congress must enact a bill that will prohibit candidacies of those with major offenses against the people. Plunderers, human rights violators, protectors of criminal syndicates, those who tolerate impunity and the like are the ones that should be prohibited from running. They are the ones who mock the entire legal system even if their day jobs are legislators.
