Kontra Daya Wants Arroyo-Linked Partylists, Nominees Disqualified

MANILA, March 31, 2010- Militant groups and other organizations today filed disqualification cases against nominees of several party-list groups with alleged ties to the Arroyo administration.

Groups involved with election watchdog Kontra Daya campaign asked the Commission on Elections to disqualify businessman Teodorico Haresco and Eugenio Jose Lacson of the Ang Kasangga party.

Other petitioner include Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr., Alliance of Concerned Teachers vice-chairman Benjamin Valbuena, Courage chairman Ferdinand Gaite, Anakbayan chairman Ken Leonard Ramos, Migrante chairman Gary Martinez, Gabriela secretary-general Lana Libanan and Salinlahi spokesperson and child advocate Sophia Garduce.

They groups also wanted partylist group Batang Iwas Droga to have its accreditation cancelled for being a government-sponsored project and for not revealing this to the Comelec.

They expressed indignation that the partylist system was being abused by high ranking appointed officials, elected officials, ranking police and military officials as well as persons who were not marginalized but had ties to President Arroyo.

In the petition to disqualify Haresco and Lacson, the petitioners stated that both do not belong to the ranks of the micro-entrepreneurs that the group claims to represent.

In a separate petition, the groups accused the partylist group Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA) of being a government adjunct and funded project now running in the partylist system. Kontra Daya has accused BIDA of being funded by PAGCOR.

BIDA's first nominee is Sheryl Genuinio-See, daughter of Efraim. She was also a former nominee of another PAGCOR-linked partylist group Bigkis Pinoy.

Bayan Muna party-list representatives Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo, in another petition, also asked the Comelec to disqualify former Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes as nominee of transport group 1-Utak.

Petitioners said Reyes cannot be considered a member of the marginalized sector of jeepney drivers, operators and commuters, which is a requirement under Comelec guidelines on nominees of party-list groups.

Ocampo and Maza earlier filed a petition to disqualify President Arroyo's son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo as nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy, which seeks to represent security guards and tricycle drivers in Congress.

Fr. Joe Dizon, Kontra Daya convener, has identified 30 party-list groups that have questionable nominees or nominees with links to the Arroyo government.

Some of these party lists include: Ang Galing Pinoy; 1-Utak; Ang Kasangga; Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA); KABAYAN; PACYAW; Association of Labor and Employees (ALE); Abot Tanaw; APOI Partylist; BANTAY True Marcos Loyalists; Aangat Tayo; Abono Partylist; Abante Tribung Makabansa (ATM); Alliance of People's Organizations (APO); and ANAD. (CBCPNews)