BAYAN Bicol lauds COMELEC's decision to disqualify AKB

NAGA CITY (Oct. 14, 2012) – Cause-oriented group Bagong Alyansang Magkabayan (BAYAN) Bicol chapter declared in a statement sent to news outlets on Friday (Oct. 12) that COMELEC was right to disqualify party list organization AKO-Bicol (AKB) in the 2013 mid-term elections.

Bayan Bicol says it is about time that COMELEC cleansed the party list of so called “pseudo party-list groups”, which it claims is part of the infrastructure of traditional politics and does not represent the interest of the marginalized sector.

BAYAN says the COMELEC move improves its image and makes it a much more credible poll body at it supervises the 2013 elections.

BAYAN also acknowledged the efforts of the “Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) and another cause-oriented group “KONTRA-DAYA” in filing the disqualification petition against AKB that they accused “as a pseudo party list that represents the interest of the rich businessmen-contractors in Bicol region.”

On Thursday (Oct. 11) the AKB posted in its website a public statement expressing dismay over the COMELEC's decision claiming that it disregards the mandate from 1.525 million Filipinos who voted for the AKB in the 2010 national elections.

About 1.1 million Bicolanos voted for AKB in 2010, it said.

The COMELEC’s 1st Division gave the accreditation to the AKB as a registered political party under the party-list system, signed by COMELEC Commissioners Sarmiento and Velasco.

After AKB finished at the top of the party-list parties in the 2010 elections, COMELEC was flooded with petitions seeking the disqualification of the controversial party causing a temporary delay of its proclamation.

However, the COMELEC through its 2nd Division composed of Commissioners Ferrer, Yusoph and Tagle upheld the validity of the AKB as a political party, enabling AKB to assign 3 representatives to the House of Representatives.

To appease their supporters, AKB sources vow to exhaust all legal remedies to overturn the disqualification decision of COMELEC in time for the 2013 polls. (SONNY SALES)