OFW group asks Comelec to junk order scuttling bid to be party-list


By
 Joel R. San Juan
 -
1
Last updated on 
A GLOBAL non-governmental organization advocating for the interests and concerns  of Filipinos working abroad on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the Commission on Elections denying its application for registration as a party-list group for the coming midterm elections.
In a 22-page petition, Advocates and Keepers Organizations of OFW , Inc. (AKO-OFW) through its chairman Celerino Umandap also asked the Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) enjoining the Comelec from implementing its decision denying its petition for registration.
The petitioner also sought the issuance of a writ ore preliminary mandatory injunction ordering the poll body to allow it to participate in the May 13, 2019 National and local Elections.
 It accused the Comelec en banc  of grave abuse of discretion when it held in its January 15, 2019 decision that the group failed to comply with the requirement of consent under Section 6 (1) of Comelect Resolution No. 9366 which provides for the guidelines for party-list groups participating in the elections.
Section 6 (1) mandates that for petitions registration as party-list groups should state that all its officers and members have given their consent to the petition.
The poll body noted that AKO-OFW indicated in its petition for registration that only the majority of its members consent to the filing of the petition.
The petitioners insisted that the Comelec failed to take into consideration that its petition was supported with documentary evidence of consent and approval of its members and officers.
 “The petition for registration of AKO OFW substantially complied with the requirement of the law. The failure of the Comelec to scrutinize the documents supporting the petition, the amended petition and the motion for reconsideration, and most importantly all the annexes attached thereto, amounted to utter evasion to perform its duty to dispose the matter with utmost care and vigilance in the light of the spirit and intent of the party-list law,” the petitioner explained.
It pointed out that in order to comply with the requirement of consent, the petitioner attached to its petition before the Comelec pertinent board resolutions showing that consent were given by its officers to the filing of the petition for registration.
“The subject board resolutions and secretary certificate adequately show that the meeting was held to ensure that the filing of the petition was approved by all of its officers and members of AKO OFW,” the petitioner stressed.
“The circumstances showing that the organization as a whole is desirous to be registered as a sectoral party and participate in the 2019 party-list elections existed from the time the organization meeting was convened…,” it added.
The group claimed that its registration as party-list group to be able to participate in the coming elections is necessary in order to fully fulfill its mission to protect the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), which it said has remained to be marginalized and underrepresented.
AKO-OFW is behind the creation of world-wide Bantay OFW App where their members communicate their concerns and addressed by the group through referral to appropriate domestic or foreign counter-part agencies or to the Philippine Over Employment Association (POEA) or to the appropriate Philippine embassy or consular office.

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