MANILA — The original intent of the party-list law is to give the marginalized and underserved sectors of society a chance to participate in the elections and lawmaking. But a recent study by election watchdog Kontra Daya flagged 55 percent of the party-list groups participating in the 2025 elections for their links to political dynasties, big businesses, police/military connection, corruption, and dubious advocacy.

“The party-list system, which is supposed to protect the marginalized, ends up marginalizing the already marginalized,” said Kontra Daya convener Danilo Arao.

Table 1. Summary of flagged party-list groups
Political dynasty	40
Big business	25
Police/military connection	18
Corruption cases	7
Dubious advocacy	11
Not enough information	9
Total flagged party-list groups	86
Total party-list groups	156
Percent of flagged party-list groups	55.13%
Source: Kontra Daya Note: Details do not add up to total due to cases of multiple flagging

Eighty-six of the total 156 participating party-list groups have been flagged by Kontra Daya, including most of the leading party-lists based on the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) surveys. 

Among the leading groups linked to political dynasty are: 

• 4Ps Party-list: Second and fifth nominees are members of the Abalos political family (Jonathan Clement M. Abalos II and Jonathan Clement DC. Abalos, respectively).
• ACT-CIS Party-list: Second nominee Jocelyn Pua Tulfo is wife of Raffy Tulfo, the incumbent representative of the party-list. Her two siblings, Merelene Pua Que and Lucrecia Pua Co, are the eighth and ninth nominees of the party-list.
• FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list: First nominee Brian Daniel Poe Llamanzares is the son of Senator Grace Poe, while the fourth nominee Teodoro Misael Daniel V. Llamanzares is the husband of the senator. Second nominee Mark Lester A. Patron is the son of San Jose, Batangas Mayor Valentino Patron, and third nominee Hiyas Govinda R. Dolor is the wife of Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor.
• Tingog Sinirangan: First nominee Andrew Julian K. Romualdez is the son of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, while sixth nominee Yedda Marie K. Romualdez is the wife and incumbent representative.

“Among the more than 1,500 party-list nominees, Tingog Sinirangan deserves close scrutiny for being linked with the Romualdez clan to which the current House Speaker belongs,” said Kontra Daya.

The watchdog added that ACT-CIS is an interesting case study of how the Tulfo political clan has managed to “invade, not just the Senate but also the House of Representatives.”

In addition, 25 party-lists are associated with big businesses, more than 300 nominees are identified as businessman / businesswoman, based on their Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA). Some of the survey leaders linked to big businesses are:

• Ako Bicol Party-list: First nominee Elizaldy Salcedo Co is the Chairman and CEO of Sunwest Group Holding Company, Inc. (2018).
• TGP Party-list: Second nominee Aaron Carlo D. Cabrera is the CEO and President of Teravera Corporation. Kontra Daya found that their company is a contractor and deals with the projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) Executive Director Natalie Pulvinar said that the continuous distortion of the party-list system by political dynasties and business elites erodes democracy, weakens genuine sectoral representation, and entrenches elite rule.

“If left unchecked, the continued hijacking of the party-list system will further entrench elite dominance in Philippine politics, diminishing the democratic space for genuine representatives of the marginalized,” said Pulvinar.

The Party-list System Act (Republic Act 7941) is a mechanism to ensure representation for the marginalized and underrepresented sectors in Philippine governance. 

“The State shall promote proportional representation in the election of representatives to the House of Representatives through a party-list system of registered national, regional and sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof, which will enable Filipino citizens belonging to marginalized and under-represented sectors, organizations and parties, and who lack well-defined political constituencies but who could contribute to the formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will benefit the nation as a whole, to become members of the House of Representatives,” the law reads.

In a 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that party-list groups need not be “marginalized or underrepresented” to run in the election as long as the “principal advocacy pertains to the special interest and concern of the sector.”

The ruling allowed 41 of the 54 previously disqualified party-list groups to run for the election. They were initially disqualified for failing to meet the requirements of representing marginalized sectors in the House of Representatives. Arao said that this is a prospect for Kontra Daya to challenge the Supreme Court ruling in 2013.

Read: ‘SC decision makes a mockery of party-list system’ –– progressive groups

The rippling effect of this decision extends to the succeeding elections. In the previous 2022 elections, Kontra Daya flagged 70 percent of the 177 party-list groups for their dubious links.

CenPEG calls for the restoration of the original intent of the Party-List System Act by recommending the following reforms:

• Strict enforcement of the party-list law’s original mandate – Only organizations that genuinely represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors should be allowed to run.
• Transparency and accountability in party-list accreditation – The Commissions on Elections (COMELEC) must strictly scrutinize party-list applicants and reject those that fail to meet the law’s intent.
• Legislative reforms to strengthen sectoral representation – Congress must amend the law to explicitly prohibit traditional politicians and economic elites from exploiting the system.

Arao made it clear that the stand of Kontra Daya is not to abolish the party-list system but to reform it. “It is not as if we are reinventing the wheel. There are also pending bills seeking for reform. However, this is gathering dust in Congress right now, because what do you expect from political dynasties, big businesses, and other beneficiaries of the current system?”

In 2018, then Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Carlos Zarate spearheaded the filing of the proposed “Genuine Party-List Group and Nominee Act” to amend the Party-List System Act. The bill seeks to ensure that only groups, organizations, or political parties that can prove—through an evidentiary public hearing—that they genuinely represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors, and that their nominees truly belong to the sectors they claim to represent, will be eligible for registration. However, since its filing, the measure has remained stalled in the House of Representatives. (RTS, RVO)

Disclosure: Prof. Danilo Arao is the associate editor of Bulatlat