House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III underscored on Friday, Dec. 12 the need to strengthen the original mandate of the party-list system, which was to provide a voice to marginalized sectors--particularly Filipino workers--in the House of Representatives. 

Dy gave this message during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) in Cubao, Quezon City.

“At kung tunay nating nais na mas mapakinggan ang boses ng manggagawa, kailangan din nating tiyakin na ang mga mekanismong ginawa para sa inyo ay gumagana nang tama (And if we truly want the voice of the workers to be heard more, we must also ensure that the mechanisms created for you are working properly),” Dy told TUCP leaders and members.

“Dito po pumapasok ang isa pang mahalagang reporma na isinusulong ng ating Pangulo — ang pag-ayos ng ating party-list system (This is where another important reform being pushed by our President comes in — fixing of our party-list system),” he added.

Dy said reforms to the party-list system form part of a broader effort to strengthen Philippine democracy. This followed the clear policy directives President Marcos Jr. gave during the recent meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

“Sa huling pagpupulong ng LEDAC sa Malacañang, malinaw ang direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.: pabilisin ang pagpasa ng mga repormang magpapatatag sa ating demokrasya," the Speaker said.

(In the last LEDAC meeting in Malacañang, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. gave a clear directive: hasten the passage of reforms that will strengthen our democracy.)

He says that party-list reform is being advanced alongside other priority measures identified by the President, including the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, the Independent People’s Commission Act, and the CADENA Act aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in public finance.

According to Dy, calls for reform have grown as experts increasingly point out that the party-list system has drifted away from its constitutional purpose and no longer gives voice to truly marginalized sectors.

The Speaker emphasized that the objective was to reform the party-list system, while remaining faithful to the spirit of the law that was anchored on authentic sectoral representation.

“Kaya ang gusto po nating ibalik ay isang sistemang tapat sa diwa ng batas: representation that is real, authentic and sector-based (What we want to restore is a system faithful to the spirit of the law: representation that is real, authentic, and sector-based),” Dy explained.

Dy highlighted TUCP’s historic role as one of the pillars of the party-list system. He described the labor group as a living reminder of why the mechanism exists and why reform is necessary.

“Ang boses ng manggagawa ay dapat manggaling sa tunay na manggagawa — hindi sa mga makapangyarihang interes, hindi sa political clans, hindi sa mayayamang grupo na nais umangkin ng espasyo na hindi naman sa kanila,” he said.

(The voice of the workers must come from real workers — not from powerful interests, not from political clans, not from wealthy groups that want to claim a space that is not theirs.)

As the House prepares for deliberations on party-list reform, Dy encouraged TUCP and other labor groups to actively engage in the process, stressing that their voice, experience and credibility are vital to shaping a system that truly serves Filipino workers.

TUCP is the country’s largest confederation of labor federations and has had representation in Congress through the party-list system, with Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza now serving as its representative in Congress.