Senate bill seeks to expand grounds for disqualifying party-list groups
By Dhel Nazario
Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa has filed a bill seeking to expand the grounds for the refusal or cancellation of registration of party-list groups.
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa
This includes the promotion or use of violence and unlawful acts involving vulnerable sectors such as children and youth; and any form of association or support for designated terrorist groups under Republic Act (RA) 11479, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
According to Dela Rosa, the proposed measure seeks to strengthen the safeguards of the party-list system by amending Section 6 of Republic Act (RA) 7941. The law, Dela Rosa said sought to give voice to the voiceless, and to allow previously sidelined communities a seat at the table of national policymaking.
However, decades into its implementation, the nation has realized that clearly, intent is not everything. The integrity of the party-list system has come under question, he said.
Certain groups have entered Congress not as genuine representatives of marginalized sectors, but as vehicles for ideological or political interests that run counter to the spirit of the Constitution, he added.
He also stated that of particular concern is the infiltration of groups with known links to rebels associated with local terrorist groups, which not only undermines public trust but also compromises national security and democratic institutions.
Dela Rosa added that the party-list system was never meant to be a Trojan horse for anti-government or anti-democratic activities.
This bill does not seek to suppress legitimate sectoral representation. On the contrary, it aims to restore the system to its rightful purpose: to uplift the marginalized and to ensure a responsive, inclusive legislative process, he said.