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Party-list groups entitled to 29 seats proclaimed


MANILA, Philippines The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday proclaimed qualified party-list groups entitled to seats in the 14th Congress following the order of the Supreme Court to raise the number of said seats to 55. However, instead of 55, the Comelec said seats could only be raised to 51 so far. This is because of the disqualification cases being faced by two party-list groups and the dissolution of a legislative district in Mindanao. Bagong Alyansang Tagapagtaguyod ng Adhikain ng Sambayanan (BATAS) was supposed to have two seats, and Ang Laban ng Indiginong Filipino (ALIF) should have been entitled to one. Shariff Kabunsuan is no longer a province having its own legislative district, thus it took away another seat bringing down the available seats to 51. Currently, 22 seats are occupied by 17 groups in the 14th Congress, thus only 29 more seats are available to the winning groups. The 29 seats are distributed to the following groups that will have one seat each:
  • Bayan Muna
  • Apec
  • A Teacher
  • Akbayan
  • Alagad
  • Coop-Natco
  • Butil
  • ARC
  • Amin
  • Abono
  • Yacap
  • Agap
  • An Waray
  • Uni-mad
  • ABS
  • Kakusa
  • Kabataan
  • Aba-ako
  • Senior Citizens
  • AT
  • VFP
  • Anad
  • Banat
  • Ang Kasangga
  • Bantay
  • Abakada
  • 1-Utak
  • TUCP
Among those joining the House of Representatives as a result of the Supreme Court ruling is retired Army general Jovito Palparan Jr, representing Bantay. The ruling also ushers in a fourth Arroyo in Congress, Ma. Lourdes T. Arroyo, younger sister of First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, representing Ang Kasangga. Ms. Arroyo will join three other relatives of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the House - Negros Occ. Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo, and presidential sons Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo. The new party-list groups that will occupy seats in the House following the Supreme Court ruling are: 1. Aba-Ako 2. Abakada 3. ABS 4. ANAD 5. Ang Kasangga 6. AT 7. Bantay 8. Banat 9. 1-Utak 10. Kabataan 11. Kakusa 12. Senior Citizens 13. TUCP 14. Uni-Mad 15. VFP The party-list groups that have already occupied their seats prior to the Supreme Court ruling are: 1. Buhay - 3 seats 2. Bayan Muna - 2 seats 2. Apec - 2 seats 3. Cibac - 2 seats 4. Gabriela - 2 seats 5. Butil - 1 seat 6. Coop Natco - 1 seat 7. A Teacher - 1 seat 8. Abono - 1 seat 9. Agap - 1 seat 10. Akbayan - 1 seat 11. Anak Mindanao or Amin - 1 seat 12. An Waray - 1 seat 13. Anakpawis - 1 seat 14. ARC - 1 seat 15. Yacap - 1 seat Under the new setup, the following party-list groups will get one additional seat each: 1. Akbayan 2. Abono 3. Agap 4. Anak Mindanao or Amin 5. Anakpawis 6. An Waray 7. Alagad 8. A Teacher 9. ARC 10. Bayan Muna 11. Butil 12. Coop Natco Other groups included in the Supreme Court's list of party-list groups entitled to representation in Congress, but not proclaimed by the Comelec on Friday, were the Filipinos for Peace Justice and Progress Movement (FPJPM) and the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation, Inc. (Cocofed). A press statement by the Comelec said FPJPM's party-list registration was cancelled on July 1, 2008. Cocofed was excluded by the Comelec altogether as a result of changes in the distribution of seats. "Although Cocofed was included in the decision of the Supreme Court as the party-list group entitled to the last 55th seat, the number of available party-list seats for distribution, which has now been reduced to 54, could no longer accommodate Cocofed," the Comelec statement explained. With Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV