Metro Manila, Philippines — Only 41 party-lists have been accredited for the 2025 midterm elections so far after the Commission on Elections rejected more than a hundred applicants for failure to meet the requirements.
In a press conference on Monday, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body has denied the applications of 142 party-lists, and this number could rise in the coming days, pending the issuance of some resolutions.
“Hindi naman dahil sa gusto lang namin magreduce, or magpakaunti ng mga party list. Subalit gusto lang din namin na yung mga partylist talaga ay nagrerepresent sa marginalized and underrepresented,” Garcia said.
[Translation: It’s not because we just want to reduce or decrease the number of party lists. Rather, we just want to make sure that the party lists truly represent the marginalized and underrepresented.]
Garcia said some applicants either lacked the documentary requirements, failed to substantiate their advocacies, or could not prove that they genuinely represent the sector they claim to represent.
“Hindi na namin kayang pakialam yung mga na-accredit na before at nakapagparticipate na dati [We can no longer interfere with those who were previously accredited and have already participated before],” he added.
Meanwhile, the Comelec has reversed its earlier decision to reject the Health Workers Party-list after it submitted the required documents, Garcia said.
“At sa isang banda, sila ang mga frontliners natin, magandang mapagbigyan din, magkaroon sila ng boses [On the other hand, they are our frontliners, so it would be good to give them a chance and allow them to have a voice],” he said.
Comelec has scheduled to release the final list of party-lists this week ahead of the filing of certificates of candidacy on Oct. 1-8.
