MANILA – A lawmaker-son of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and three of her aides have been denounced for using the country’s party list system as their entry point to the House of Representatives in the coming May 10 elections.
They are Congressman Juan Miguel “Mikey†Arroyo of Pampanga province in Central Luzon, Secretary Jesli Lapus of the Department of Education, Secretary Angelo Reyes of the Department of Energy and former congressman Prospero Pichay, the head of the government-owned Local Water Utilities Administration.
Their announcement that they would run for Congress in the May polls has been denounced by lawmakers and concerned sectors as an abuse of the party list system which was set up so that the under-represented and marginalized sectors in society will have a voice and protect their interests in Congress.
These sectors include, among others, farmers and fishermen, teachers, bus and jeepney drivers, retired soldiers and policemen as well as private security guards, private and public pensioners, street vendors and market stallholders and even gays.
Concerned sectors, like Congressman Teddy Casino of the party list group “Bayan Muna†(Country First), pointed out that Mikey as well as Lapus, Reyes and Pichay are not in a position to represent these sectors because they are “politicians†and thus, not “marginalized.â€
There are 55 seats at stake in the House for party list representatives, which is being contested by the more than 40 groups accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to participate in the May polls.
The Comelec also earlier announced that the party list groups have until March 26 to submit at least three nominees each for the House seats available.
Unlike in the past, the Comelec said it would announce the names of each of the party list nominees after a thorough review of their qualifications.
Mikey Arroyo earlier announced he might run for Congress as the nominee of the party list group known as “Ang Galing Pinoy†(literally, Filipino Talent).
Mikey, who is eligible for reelection as congressman, however, announced he is giving way to his mother who is running for his seat in the second legislative district in their home province of Pampanga in May.
If he wins, Mikey will not be the first member of the Arroyo family to represent a party list group in the House.
The first is his aunt, Maria Lourdes Arroyo, the sister of his father, who was elected to Congress as the nominee of the party list group “Kasangga†(Partner) which claims to represent street vendors and small market stallholders.
Reyes, for his part, said he would accept the nomination of a group, United Transport Coalition which claims to represent bus and jeepney operators and drivers, to be its No. 1 nominee in the May elections.
Ironically, it was United Transport Coalition and similar groups which have organized protest rallies to denounce Reyes, in his capacity as energy secretary, for allegedly coddling the country’s oil companies by allowing them to increase the prices of gasoline and other products almost every week.
On the other hand, Lapus confirmed he might run in May as the nominee of a party list group organized by teachers either retired or still in active service.
Lapus was a congressman representing Tarlac province in Central Luzon when he agreed to join the Arroyo Cabinet as the education secretary.
Lapus was widely believed to have been eyeing a seat in the Senate but apparently declined to be included in the administration’s senatorial ticket.
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