MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions of 17 party-list organizations against the Commission on Elections (Comelec) involving their participation in the 2016 elections.

In minute resolutions on Tuesday, January 26, the SC uniformly dismissed the petitions for certiorari, prohibition, and/or mandamus of the following party-list organizations: 

1. Ang Bayaning Kawal at Pulis Inc (ABAKAP)
2. Alyansa ng Katutubong Pilipino (AKAP)
3. Association of Direct Vendors, Agents, Networking Circles, and Entrepreneurs (ADVANCE)
4. Witnesses for a Transparent and Equitable Society (WITNESS)
5. Lingap Balen
6. Sulong Katutubo
7. Ating Aral Regional (NCR) Sectoral Party of the Women and Youth Sector
8. Essential New Generation in Needs of Energy and Environment Resources Inc (ENGINEER)
9. Pilipinas Para sa Pinoy (PPP)
10. Angat Ahon Magsasaka Inc (AAM)
11. Women and Child Crime Abuse Assistance (WACCAA)
12. Ang Siguro Inc
13. Isang Lapian ng Mangingisda at Bayan Tungo sa Kaunlaran (1-LAMBAT)
14. United Women Against Poverty (UWAP)
15. Philippine Alliance for Responsible Trade by Nation Builders (PARTNERS)
16. Alliance of Public Transport Organization Inc (1-APTO)
17. Chronic Kidney Disease (Ang CKD)

The said groups argued that the Comelec was wrong in dismissing their respective petitions for registration and accreditation as regional or sectoral party-list groups for the 2016 polls.

But the SC ruled that the Comelec did not act with grave abuse of discretion. 

The names of the first 12 party-list groups above were among the 84 whose inclusion in the party-list raffle – which determines their order of listing on the official ballot – was up in the air. They had pending motions for reconsideration before the Comelec en banc by the time the Comelec issued Resolution 10025 on December 3, 2015.

Meanwhile, the participation of the next two names in the 2016 polls was up for consideration by the Comelec at the time Resolution 10025 was promulgated.

1-LAMBAT filed its “manifestation of intent” to join the party-list race beyond the May 8, 2015 deadline.

For its part, UWAP missed the deadline for filing its manifestation of intent” that’s why its petition for registration was denied by a Comelec division. UWAP appealed this in a petition that remained pending with the Comelec en banc when Resolution 10025 was issued. 

The names of PARTNERS, 1-APTO, and Ang CKD were not in the same resolution. – Rappler.com