MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has barred 3 militant groups from opposing a landmark ruling on the party list, the high court’s spokesman said Wednesday, June 26.

This means the ruling is now final, SC spokesman Theodore Te said.

Te said the SC junked the motion for leave to file motion for reconsideration-in-intervention filed by Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and Gabriela, which all won party-list seats in the midterm elections. The SC said their motion was “filed out of time.”

The 3 groups had to request permission to intervene because they weren’t parties to the case. The case involves party-list group Atong Paglaum Inc, among others, and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The poll body didn’t file a motion for reconsideration on the case Atong Paglaum Inc vs Comelec. Instead, it immediately heeded the high court and revised its list of accredited party-list groups based on the SC’s new criteria.

“Without a motion for reconsideration of the Atong Paglaum decision filed by Comelec, the decision has become final,” Te said

In the Atong Paglaum case, the SC ruled that that party list is not solely for marginalized sectors, reversing a decade-old interpretation by the high court. The Comelec used the SC’s 2001 ruling to disqualify an unprecedented number of party-list groups.

Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr, who threatened to resign over a series of SC rulings against the Comelec, said of the party-list ruling: “I don’t like it.” – Rappler.com