Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has filed a measure seeking to amend the existing Party-List System Act or Republic Act No. 7941, to realign the system with its original intent under the 1987 Constitution.

Sotto noted that through the years, the interpretation of the law on party-list has expanded its qualification and deviated from the intent of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, which is to truly represent the marginalized and the underrepresented.  

“The party-list system has also been abused and used as a vehicle to pursue advocacies that are not for the best interest of the government,” Sotto said.

In filing Senate Bill No. 192, Sotto seeks to outline additional grounds for the cancellation of registration of party-list groups, including failure to represent the marginalized and underrepresented sectors, instances where members or nominees do not belong to these sectors, direct or indirect participation in acts detrimental to the best interest of the government, ceasing to be a marginalized sector, and material misrepresentation of nominees.

Sotto noted that the deviation from the true mandate of the party-list system has also created more inequality, the very evil that the framers of the Constitution sought to prevent.

“Amid the many issues hounding government officials, it is high time to revisit the true purpose of the party-list system, whether these groups are genuinely representing the marginalized, or merely hiding behind the guise of doing so for personal or political gain,” he said.

Once enacted into law, Sotto said he is confident the measure will strengthen the integrity of the party-list system, ensuring that it fulfills its intended purpose, to uplift the voices of the marginalized and underrepresented in Philippine society.