Is it time to abolish the party-list system?

Outgoing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has recommended that the next President abolish the party-list system. He earlier lamented that the rich had exploited the system to lobby for their interest in Congress, while some party-list groups are linked to the communist movement.

Election watchdog KontraDaya flagged at least 122 party-list groups composing around 70 percent of the 177 who participated in the May 9 elections for allegedly being identified with political clans and big business with unknown or unclear advocacies and representations.

The 1987 Constitution mandates that the House of Representatives be composed of not more than two hundred and fifty members who shall be elected from legislative districts and those who shall be elected through a party-list system of registered national, regional and sectoral parties or organizations.

The objective of having representatives of the marginalized sectors in the House of Representatives is laudable as this ensures that the interests of the marginalized sectors are represented in the legislative branch of government.

But as the evolution of the party-list system tells us, those sitting in the House of Representatives, as self-proclaimed advocates of the marginalized, do not even represent the plight of the very sector being represented. We have a group of seafarers whose nominees have not worked as a seaman. Then, we have a person representing the OFWs whose prior work or business is opposed to their interest.

The foregoing policy results in an anomalous situation where the one representing the marginalized sector does not really share or even represent their interests. Imagine the security guards being represented by a scion who may be an oppressor of the sector represented or the OFWs represented by one whose interest conflicts with the sector represented or the seafarers represented by businessmen. It is high time to revisit our party-list system. As it now appears, the system has metamorphosed into something that the sovereign Filipino people do not envision.

After his failed advocacy for federalism, President Duterte is now suggesting to the next President that the abolition of the party-list system can be the key to amending or revising the constitution. In the past administrations, the Filipino people eventually uncovered the sinister plan behind the move to overhaul the charter.  

Even with more than 17 million votes and with strong political capital, Duterte eventually gave up on charter change. Now that we have a presumptive president supported by 31 million Filipinos, the plan to amend our constitution has again resurfaced, and Duterte has given the motive to do it.

Is it time to abolish the party-list system? Given its flaws and unwanted metamorphosis, the system needs to be reformed or abolished. But remember, good intentions pave many roads. And some of them are hellbound.