Lawyer seeks party-list disqualification over misleading name

A lawyer is seeking the disqualification of the Pilipinas Babangon Muli (PBBM) Partylist from the party-list race for allegedly misleading voters.

In a petition filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), lawyer Jess Christian Ramirez claimed that the party-list group is falsely projecting an association with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., potentially misleading voters into believing there is a connection when none exists.

Ramirez argued that the party-list may be exploiting the registration system for “political and financial motivations.”

According to the petition, PBBM claimed in its 21 September 2023 registration with Comelec that it exclusively represents the Calabarzon region (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon). However, when Comelec published the list of nominees on 24 October 2024, it revealed that eight nominees were from Abra, one from Cagayan, and one from Quezon City.

“It cannot be overemphasized that PBBM did not field a single nominee from Calabarzon — the very region the party claimed to represent,” Ramirez stated, asserting that this constitutes a clear violation of the party's registration requirements and misrepresentation in its petition for registration.

The petition cited violations of Republic Act 7941, or the Party-List System Act, and Sections 2(f), (g), and (j) of Comelec Resolution 9366, accusing PBBM of “making untruthful statements, misrepresenting its regional affiliation, and attempting to deceive voters by fielding nominees who do not meet the legal qualifications for Calabarzon.”

“The fact that PBBM’s nominees are not from Calabarzon renders them ineligible to become members of the party, let alone serve as its official nominees,” Ramirez emphasized.

To support his petition, Ramirez referenced the Atong Paglaum Inc. vs. Comelec case, which established that party-list nominees must be bona fide members of the party and represent the constituency they claim to serve.

He called for the immediate cancellation of PBBM’s registration, barring the party-list from participating in the upcoming elections and preventing the proclamation of any of its nominees.

The Comelec has yet to set a hearing date for the petition.