Comelec excludes Malasakit Movement PL


The Malasakit Movement has been excluded in the official ballot.

Comelec/MB

In a notice, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office of the Clerk of the Commission said the group was excluded citing the resolution of its pending incident.

"The OCOC hereby notifies that party-list registrant Malasakit Movement Inc (Malasakit Movement) has been excluded in the final listing of party-list candidates to appear in the ballot in connection with the May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections in view of the resolution of its pending incident," it said.

It was Dec. 14, 2021 when the poll body conducted the raffle to determine the order of listing of partylist groups in the official ballot.

The Comelec was supposed to conduct the raffle Dec. 10 but decided to move it in order for the party list groups, organizations, and coalitions with pending incidents to have the opportunity to secure a status quo ante order from the Supreme Court.

Only 166 party-list were included in the raffle that time.

The Malasakit Movement was previously assigned the number 96 slot in the ballot.

In a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 12, Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez explained why the group was removed.

"Malasakit Movement was denied accrediation because they failed to meet the requiremnets for a sectoral partylist organization. They were unable to prove that they were representing marginalized underrepresented sector," he said.

Asked if the group can still appeal their removal, Jimenez said: "They can go to the Supreme Court."

The poll official also revealed that the petition for accreditation of the Mothers for Change (Mocha) group has been approved.

"The group Mocha met all of the sectoral requiremnets for a sectoral organization. That was the justification for the ruling," said Jimenez.

"We will come out with the final tally of participating party-list organizations by tomorrow," he added.