Press Statement
July 10, 2010

Kontra Daya welcomes the decision of the Commission on Elections First Division granting the petition to disqualify the nominees of Ang Kasangga Partylist Teodorico Haresco and Eugenio Jose Lacson. The petition was filed by members of Kontra Daya including Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes, Jr. ACT vice-chair Benjie Valbuena, Courage chair Ferdie Gaite, Migrante chair Gary Martinez, Anakbayan chair Ken Ramos and SCMP chair Ma. Cristina Guevarra last March 31. The petitioners were represented by Atty. Julius Matibag of the National Union of People’s Lawyers.

The decision issued last July 7 correctly states that Haresco and Lacson are not qualified to be part of the partylist system because one is a big businessman and the other is a three-term city mayor. Haresco owns several businesses and has been head of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s “Presidential Bridges Program”. Lacson meanwhile is an established local politician with a definite constituency.

The decision on Ang Kasangga should serve now as a precedent for the disqualification of Ang Galing Pinoy’s Mikey Arroyo and 1-Utak’s Angelo Reyes and other like them. They should once and for all be booted out of the partylist system for marginalized and underrepresented sectors.

The Comelec’s 2nd Division has yet to issue a ruling on Mikey Arroyo’s bid as a partylist nominee, but given the decision of the 1st Division, it would be grossly untenable for the 2nd division to rule in a contrary manner.

Ang Kasangga has been previously used by Ma. Lourdes Arroyo, sister of then First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, as a vehicle for congressional representation. In the 2010 elections, known Arroyo allies Haresco and Lacson also attempted to use Ang Kasangga as a backdoor to Congress.

Kontra Daya calls for a comprehensive review and overhaul of the accreditation process for the partylist system to be able to root out pseudo-partylist groups. The abuse of the partylist system must stop.