After losing in the recent election, the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Party-list sought the review of the proclamation of winning party-lists supposedly due to the lack of representation of migrant workers in the upcoming 20th Congress.
Party-list decries lack of OFW representation in Congress after poll loss
At A Glance
- After losing in the recent election, the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Party-list sought the review of the proclamation of winning party-lists supposedly due to the lack of representation of migrant workers in the upcoming 20th Congress.
Outgoing OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa "Del Mar" Magsino on Monday, May 26, led the filing of a Petition for Certiorari with Prayer for Urgent Issuance of Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) before the Supreme Court (SC) in a bid to halt the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc from implementing National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) Resolution 14-25.
NBOC Resolution 14-25, promulgated on May 18, distributed 63 seats in the House of Representatives among party-list winners for the incoming 20th Congress.
"This is no longer about procedure, it’s about preserving the integrity of a system designed to uplift the marginalized," Magsino said.
"What we’re witnessing is a systemic shift that undermines the principles behind the party-list mechanism," she added.
Magsino, whose party-list also sought a full review and recomputation of seat allocations, said the voices of OFWs and seafarers, who are "the pillars of our economy and vital threads in our social fabric," were unfairly silenced by the inequitable seat allocation.
“Ibalik ang boses ng mga OFW sa Kongreso. Ang ating party-list representation ay dapat patas at totoo! (Bring back the voices of OFWs in the Congress. Our party-list representation must be fair and truthful)" she said.
She was joined by several OFWs and seafarers in filing the protest.
Magsino said they sought the help of the High Court because it "has a duty to uphold the integrity of our institutions".
"This petition is not just about a seat. It’s about the promise that this system once held for farmers, laborers, overseas workers, and other underrepresented groups. That promise is now at risk," she added.