Party-list perversion in the Philippines: An analysis on the rise of spurious party-list groups and its effect on the current legal framework of the party-list system

• Main Author: Jallorina, La Verne V., I
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Political parties > Philippines; Political party organization > Philippines; Law
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_law/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=etdm_law
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study delves into the rise of 'spurious' party-list groups, or those which do not really represent the causes and advocacy of their constituencies, and how this phenomenon impacts representation in general, the legislative enactments of the House of Representatives and the legal framework surrounding the party-list system in the Philippines. Using content analysis, the researcher combed through pertinent laws, jurisprudence and various bills filed by these groups during their stint in Congress to show the incongruence between the performance of these spurious party-list groups and their supposed duty to their electorate. This enabled the researcher to discern certain earmarks of feigned representation from these groups, with respect to the quality of bills they file in Congress, the qualifications of their own nominees and the veracity of their stated advocacies. In effect, the existence of these groups further widens the chasm of representation between the grassroots and the government, create sub-standard legislation not palatable to the masses, and makes a mockery of the Party-List System Act and its lofty objectives.