Partylisters jockey for ballot spots

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Sunday that 156 partylist groups will participate in a raffle on 18 October to determine their order on the official ballot for the 2025 midterm elections.

The electronic raffle is scheduled for 9 a.m. and aims to ensure a transparent and impartial process for listing the candidates. Comelec emphasized that all participating organizations will be informed about the raffle procedure under Resolution 11074 issued on 11 October.

Among the 156 groups, 113 are established partylist organizations, while 42 are newly registered. Notably, Ang Tinig ng Seniors will also participate after securing a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court.

The final day of the filing period concluded on Tuesday, with a total of 184 candidates vying for the Senate and 190 partylist organizations submitting their applications.

As the raffle date approaches, Comelec indicated that the list of eligible groups may still be updated.

Participation in the raffle will occur without prejudice to any TRO that the Supreme Court may issue after the final list is published and before the ballot is finalized.

This raffle system was introduced to eliminate advantages previously granted to organizations with names that start with earlier letters in the alphabet, thereby promoting fairness in the electoral process.

In 2021, the SC issued a TRO against the Comelec, blocking the denial of registration for three partylist groups, namely, the Alliance for Resilience, Sustainability and Empowerment, Ang Tinig ng Senior Citizens sa Pilipinas, and the Igorot Warriors International.

The TRO was granted after the SC found merit in the petitions filed by these groups, which challenged Comelec’s decision that dismissed their registration applications, as well as a subsequent resolution denying their motions for reconsideration.

SC Clerk of Court Marife Lomibao-Cuevas had notified the Comelec that it is prohibited from enforcing its earlier rulings regarding the three partylist groups.

The partylist system in the Philippines is designed to represent marginalized sectors and groups. It allows for the election of sectoral representatives to the House of Representatives alongside district representatives.

Partylist groups must represent a specific sector, such as labor, youth, women, veterans, or farmers. They must meet certain requirements, including having a national constituency and promoting the interests of their sector.

The allocation of seats to party-list groups is based on the national partylist vote. A group must garner at least 2 percent of the national partylist vote to gain a seat. However, the number of seats allocated to each party-list group is capped at three.