Fewer party-list groups eyed in 2025 elections

George Erwin Garcia Chairman, COMELEC (STAR / File)

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing a shorter list of party-list groups participating in the May 2025 elections.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body wants to cut down the number of groups who would be fielding bets in the party-list system to around 130 starting in next year’s elections.

A total of 177 party-list organizations participated in the May 2022 polls.

But Garcia said the Comelec wants a shorter list to ensure that only the most qualified groups can run.

“Hopefully, we can reduce the number of party-list groups to just around 130… so that it will really be representative of the truly marginalized and underrepresented,” Garcia in a radio interview over the weekend.

He said the commission also wants to avoid a lengthy official ballot for the midterm elections.

The Comelec would be imposing stringent rules in the accreditation of new party-list groups to reduce the number of participating organizations in the elections, he added.

“We have already dismissed 130 (petitions for registration) out of the more or less 200 applicants,” Garcia noted.

Of the total number of applicants, only 17 have so far been accredited.

Only organized groups duly registered with the Comelec and have filed the Manifestation of Intent to Participate may join the party-list elections next year. — Elizabeth Marcelo

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