Millionaires, Allies of GMA, Lead Nominees of Dubious Party-list Groups

21. Alliance for Rural and Agrarian Reconstruction, Inc. (ARARO) – a party-list group that claims to represent farmers. Its first nominee is former PNP Regional III Chief PC/Supt Quirino dela Torre. According to Kontra Daya, many have pointed out the irony that it was during his stint as police chief that the Hacienda Luisita massacre happened.

22. Association of Labor and Employees (ALE) – a party-list group that claims to represent workers. Its first nominee is Catalina Bagasina, Pampanga provincial board member, businesswoman and a known Arroyo ally. Bagasina owns a cargo forwarding company.

Erlinda M.B. de Leon, Ms Arroyo’s first cousin, is its second nominee. According to the Office of the President’s website, De Leon has served as a special assistant to the President.
Its third nominee, Ma. Michaela D. Magtoto, is the operations manager of the Prime Review Center.

23. Bago National Cultural Society of the Philippines (BAGO) – a party-list group that claims to represent the Bago tribe of Region I. Its president is Alexander Bistoyong, Ilocos Sur’s Provincial Consultant for Upland Municipalities and a former Board Member of the same province. Its third nominee is B/Gen. Manuel E. Mariano, Jr. who was the Asst. Division Commander of the 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army in 2008.
24. Bagong Henerasyon (BH) – a party-list group that claims to represent youth, women, and “the people of communities.” It has a husband and wife team as its first two nominees, former Quezon City councilor Bernadette Herrera-Dy and her husband businessman Edgar Allan D. Dy.

25. Bagong Bayan na Nagtataguyod ng Demokratikong Ideolohiya at Layunin (Bandila) – this party-list competed during the 2007 elections. Its nominees included retired police general Lucas Managuelod and Benasing Macarambon III, a scion of the wealthy and powerful Macarambon clan of Lanao. Nominees include Nilo Tayag and actor Juan Miguel Bondoc.

According to Kontra Daya, Tayag is a former activist who went over to the Marcos regime after a short period in detention during Martial Law. He helped organize support rallies for the Estrada regime at the height of the oust Estrada campaign. After Estrada’s ouster, he moved over to the Arroyo camp, and in 2006 was part of the “people’s initiative” charter change campaign called Sigaw ng Bayan, which was orchestrated by Arroyo allies. Until September 2009, he was being considered for inclusion in the senatorial lineup of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, the political party of the Marcos family.

Bondoc hails from a family of wealthy businessmen. He owns several businesses including the Benedictine International School of Quezon City.

26. The True Marcos (for God, Country and People) Association of the Philippines, Inc. (BANTAY) – a party-list group that claims to represent security guards, barangay tanods, etc. Current representative is Gen. Jovito Palparan. First nominee is Evangeline Palparan, wife of Gen. Jovito Palparan. Mrs. Palparan is a dentist in the AFP Dental Service.

27. Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA) – this was earlier assailed by watchdog Kontra Daya for being ineligible for party-list accreditation because it is a government-funded and initiated entity. Its first nominee is Sheryl Genuino-See, daughter of PAGCOR chairman Efraim Genuino. Sheryl See was also a previous nominee of Bigkis Pinoy, a partylist also affiliated with PAGCOR’s Genuino.

Other nominees of BIDA like Johhny Tan have been associated with the party-list group Bigkis Pinoy. It is not clear when See and Tan resigned from Bigkis Pinoy to become nominees of BIDA.
BIDA’s fifth nominee appears to be Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio, who is presently a nominee for the Chief Justice’s position.

28. BUHAY Partylist – a party-list group that claims to protect and support the unborn, the sick, the disabled and others not capable of protecting themselves alone through observance of their basic right to live. BUHAY Partylist has father and son Mariano Velarde, Jr. and evangelist Bro. Mike Velarde as the first and fifth nominees respectively.

Mike Velarde is not only the leader of the Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai but is also a millionaire who owns Amvel Land Development Corporation. Buhay’s other nominees include William Irwin Tieng, whose family controls Solar Sports.

29. Confederation of Non-Stock Savings and Loan Associations, Inc. (CONSLA) – a party-list group that claims to represent savings and loan associations and their members. The financial assets of CONSLA members is reported to be up to P60 billion, with 5,000 individual depositors who have a deposit of at least P1 million each. Nominees include former Air Force Col. Ricardo Nolasco, Jr., former Navy Rear Admiral George T. Uy, and former Col. Samuel Padilla

30. Kabalikat ng Mamamayan (KABAYAN) – a party-list group that claims to represent transport workers, farmers and fisherfolk, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, anti-crime crusaders, overseas Filipino workers, government workers, industrial workers, urban and rural poor, migrant workers and seafarers, and students, youth and professionals. Its first nominee is Palace executive Ron Salo. Salo was undersecretary under the Office of the Executive Secretary of Eduardo Ermita in 2009. Before that he was with the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.

31. Pilipino Association for Country / Urban Poor Youth Advancement and Welfare (PACYAW) – a party-list group that claims to represent urban poor youth. PACYAW is advocating sports development among the youth. Its first nominee is Department of Tourism Asst. Secretary Janet Rita B. Lazatin. She is a member of the Lakas-CMD party and hails from a prominent political clan in Pampanga. Its second nominee is businessman and former Los Angeles Consul Reynaldo Pineda, who is also based in Pampanga.