VARIOUS youth and student groups led by Kabataan Partylist trooped to the main office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Intramuros at around 1 p.m. today to condemn the commission’s apparent bias against progressive partylists.
Youth and students conducted a die-in protest in front of Comelec, blocking the avenue in front of Palacio del Gobernador from traffic.
Groups also surrounded the Comelec perimeter with a yellow ribbon which states “Yellow Comelec, Progressive PLs not allowed,” in reference to Comelec’s apparent bias for the ruling Liberal Party and the president’s cohorts while persecuting progressive partylists including Kabataan and Piston by filing trumped-up charges.
Kabataan and Piston Partylists, member of the progressive Makabayan bloc, are among the partylists charged by Comelec for allegedly violating sections of Comelec Resolution No. 9615, specifically on the posting of campaign materials in public places.
Comelec concluded the en banc hearing on the reported cases of campaign poster violations last week and is set to release a decision either this week or the next.
“In the past two Comelec en banc hearings, we in Kabataan have succinctly shown how we complied with the commission’s notices. We have shown various documentations, including photos and letters of compliance submitted to COMELEC. Despite this, the political harassment continues,” said Kabataan Partylist President Terry Ridon.
Youth groups explain that Comelec is “conditioning the electorate not to vote for Kabataan and Piston” by unabashedly telling the public that if they vote the said partylists, their votes might be considered “stray” and would not be counted.
“Comelec has successfully transformed a supposedly voters’ vigilance campaign into an insidious smear campaign against progressive partylists,” Ridon added.
The youth leader also noted how Comelec has doggedly sustained the case against Kabataan and Piston despite lacking substantial evidence to support their allegations, while top violators in the Liberal Party, especially the Malacanang-backed Akbayan Partylist and several senatorial candidates scoot free and unnoticed by the commission.
“Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes and other officials are even ready to defend allies of President Aquino on the spot,” Ridon remarked, referring to an instant wherein Brillantes defended Aquino for handing out PhilHealth cards during LP campaign sorties.
In another instance, Brillantes was also quoted in media reports as saying that Comelec is supposedly “finding a hard time” to press charges against erring senatorial candidates.
“Instead of addressing core issues of the upcoming polls such as threats of massive electoral fraud brought about by the lack of transparency in the automated election system, Comelec has chosen to zero in on progressive partylists and ensure that genuine representatives of the marginalized sector will not be able to participate in the elections,” Ridon said.
“We call on Comelec to stop endangering the rights and welfare of the marginalized sector by harassing their genuine representatives in the partylist system. This is not the last time that we will rally in front of Comelec: the youth will keep on coming back to this commission as long as political harassment against progressive partylists continue,” Ridon ended.