At end of day, voters will be the judge

Some party-list nominees may be qualified, but the question is: Should they run for a sectoral seat? Is it the ethical thing to do?
Party-list nominees who have not shown ties to marginalized groups they now seek to represent in Congress have put the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in a legal and procedural bind, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said.
While many party-list nominees—including controversial ones like presidential son Representative Juan Miguel Arroyo—could argue for their qualifications in running for sectoral seats, Melo said the poll body has seen flaws in the system, which could be abused by groups out to consolidate their power and political interests.
Arroyo is the first nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy organization, a group that claims to further the interest of security guards. AGP's second nominee is Dennis Pineda, son of close Arroyo supporters Lilia and Bong Pineda, the Pampanga political couple who reportedly have links with illegal gambling games in the province.
Melo said he knew of one group that lost in the past elections where the first nominee was known as a “Malacañang boy.”
“We have no clear rules on party-lists,” Melo said in a media briefing on Wednesday. He cited the absence of laws defining the “marginalized” sector as another problem. “That's more reason we cannot pinpoint who the nominees are,” he said.
The Comelec said it could not dictate on whom party-list groups could nominate as their representatives in the House of Representatives.
Thus, at the end of the day, it would be up to the voters “to judge” the nominees, Melo said.

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