BAGUIO CITY — Malacañang has clarified that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has no connection with any party-list groups using his name, particularly the “Pilipinas Babangon Muli” (PBBM) partylist.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro emphasized that the President is not in any way affiliated with the said group.

“The PBBM partylist has nothing to do with President Marcos Jr.,” Castro said.

The clarification follows a petition filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) by Atty. Jess Christian Ramirez on 7 March 2025, seeking the disqualification of the PBBM partylist. In his petition, Ramirez warned that the partylist’s use of the President’s initials could mislead voters into thinking the Chief Executive is connected to the group.

Ramirez argued that the group may be exploiting the partylist system for “political and financial motivations.” He noted that while the PBBM partylist claimed in its 21 September 2023 registration to exclusively represent the Calabarzon region — comprising Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon — its official list of nominees filed on 24 October 2024, showed otherwise.

According to the Comelec’s records, eight of the partylist’s nominees are from Abra, one from Cagayan, and one from Quezon City. Not a single nominee came from Calabarzon.

“This is a blatant misrepresentation,” Ramirez said. “PBBM did not field a single nominee from the region it claims to represent, which is a clear violation of registration requirements.”

He cited violations of Republic Act 7941 (Partylist System Act) and specific provisions of Comelec Resolution 9366, pointing to “untruthful statements, misrepresentation of regional affiliation, and an attempt to deceive voters by nominating individuals who do not meet legal qualifications.”

Ramirez added, “The fact that none of PBBM’s nominees are from Calabarzon renders them ineligible not only to represent the region but to be members of the party in the first place.”

He also referenced the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Atong Paglaum Inc. vs Comelec case, which requires party-list nominees to be bona fide members of their organizations and genuinely represent their claimed constituencies.

Ramirez urged Comelec to immediately cancel the registration of the PBBM partylist and bar its nominees from participating in the upcoming elections.

Undersecretary Castro appealed to the public to be discerning in the coming polls.