Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III has filed Senate Bill No. 192 to amend the Party-List System Act (RA 7941), saying the system has strayed from its original purpose of representing the marginalized under the 1987 Constitution.
Sotto said the law has been abused by groups that no longer represent underrepresented sectors and instead advance interests “not for the best of government.”
The senator warned that this deviation has created more inequality, something the Constitution’s framers sought to prevent.
The bill adds new grounds to cancel party-list accreditation, including failure to genuinely represent marginalized sectors, nominees who do not belong to these groups, participation in acts against government interest, loss of marginalized status, and misrepresentation of nominees.
Sotto stressed it is time to revisit the system’s purpose and ensure groups are not “hiding behind the guise” of advocacy for political or personal gain.
If passed, the measure aims to restore the integrity of the party-list system and strengthen the voices of the marginalized in Congress.IMT
