The Party-List System
For the first time in Philippine election
history, the party-list system was implemented in the
May 11, 1998 elections. The party-list system aims to
ensure representation among the marginalized sectors
in the House of Representatives by voting in parties
or organizations accredited by the Commission on Elections.
Facts About the Party-List System
The party-list system is a system of voting
where voters will choose from a list of parties - not
names of individual candidates - a limited number of
seats in the House of Representatives. The party-list
system came into place by virtue of Republic Act 7941
or The Party-List System Act, enacted on 3 March 1995.
RA 7941 implements Section 5, Article VI of the 1987
Constitution which provides that 20 percent of the total
membership of the House of Representatives should be
elected through the party list system. Thus, for the
11th Congress, a maximum of 52 seats was allocated for
the party-list representatives.
The Qualified Parties
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The Party-List System Act refers to a
"party" as an organized group belonging to
any of the following sectors: labor, peasant, fisherfolk,
urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, elderly,
handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers,
and professionals or a coalition of parties (merger
of duly registered national, regional, or sectoral parties
for political and/or election purposes or a minor political
party).
To give new and small parties a chance,
the big political parties or coalitions in the are barred
from participating in party-list elections.
How to Vote for Party-List Representatives
During Congressional elections, voters
get the chance to vote for two Congressmen or "Representatives".
The first vote is for the district representative (a
person) while the second is for the party-list party.
The voter fills the second line with any one of the
parties accredited by the COMELEC. Each accredited party
is allowed a maximum of three (3) seats.
Choosing Who Will Sit on Behalf of the
Party
Each party-list party has to submit five
(5) nominees for Congress to the COMELEC. The list of
nominees excludes anybody running for public office
and those who lost for an elective post in the immediately
preceding election. The order of names in the list determines
who will sit on behalf of the winning party. For example,
if a party wins one seat - the first nominee takes the
seat; if it wins two seats - the first and second nominees
sit; and if it wins three seats - the first, second,
and third nominees take the seat. The rest of the nominees
serve as alternates in the event that any of the other
representatives decide to switch parties. If they switch
parties, they lose their seats.
Allocating Seats for Winning Parties
To qualify for one party-list seat, a
party should receive at least two percent (2%) of the
total votes cast for the party-list system. For instance,
if there are 10 million party-list votes cast, the one
seat will require at least 200,000 votes; two seats,
400,000 votes; and three seats, 600,000 votes.
Rights of Party-List Representatives
Party-list representatives shall be elected
to a term of three years and are allowed to serve for
a maximum of three consecutive terms. Party-list representatives
are likewise entitled to the same salaries and privileges
as regular members of the House of Representatives.
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