Party lists in VP impeachment bid returning to Congress
Unlike the much-vaunted senatorial slate fielded by President Marcos, most of the party lists that had voted in the 19th Congress to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte survived the midterm elections.
A review of the incoming party lists for the 20th Congress showed that there are at least 37 party lists from the 19th Congress that managed to retain control of their seats.
This includes 22 groups that had joined the 215 lawmakers in signing the impeachment complaint against Duterte on the last day of session on Feb. 5.
Among the returning party lists is Akbayan, which barely managed to avoid delisting in the 19th Congress after the Commission on Elections belatedly proclaimed it a 2022 election winner in lieu of disqualified An Waray.
With human rights lawyer Chel Diokno at the helm, the group now topped the 52 winning party lists in the recently concluded elections, gaining three seats.
Its incumbent representative, Perci Cendaña, had endorsed the first of three complaints accusing Duterte of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution and betrayal of public trust over her alleged mishandling of confidential funds as Vice President and as education secretary.
Tingog party list, now led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s son Andrew, also won three seats despite both Romualdez and its incumbent representative, Jude Acidre, being vocal critics of Duterte.
Other key party lists that played a central role in Duterte’s impeachment yet survived the midterms include 1-Rider, whose incumbent representative Rodge Gutierrez was appointed prosecutor for the impeachment trial; Kabataan and ACT Teachers, whose incumbents Raoul Manuel and France Castro were the first to reveal the alleged anomalies in Duterte’s confidential funds as Vice President, and AKO Bicol led by former House appropriations chair and Duterte rival Elizaldy Co.
Co became Romualdez’s proxy in a word war between Duterte and the House of Representatives last year, when it decided to strip Duterte’s proposed 2025 budget by over a billion pesos for the Office of the Vice President.
With Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon (BH) party lists—both of which did not sign the complaint—facing possible disqualification, women’s rights party list Gabriela might still be able to cross over to the 20th Congress.
The 14 party lists that did not make it include AAMBIS-OWA, Abono (which might still also benefit from the disqualification of Duterte Youth and BH), Pinuno, Barangay Health Workers, Kabayan and Anakalusugan.
Their fate stands in contrast with those of the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate, which experienced a battering in the polls despite projections that most of them would make the midterms.
Instead, Duterte allies Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and Rodante Marcoleta, and Liberal opposition candidates Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Francis Pangilinan outperformed most of the Alyansa candidates in the winning circle.
‘Vote for FPJ’s dreams’
Meanwhile, the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist said it has achieved a “remarkable victory,” noting that it has secured 538,003 votes according to the official results released by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and earned one seat in Congress.
Brian Poe, who will serve as the party list’s first nominee, thanked his supporters and said “I will continue to fight to improve our national feeding program, support our farmers, work with (the Department of Education) to improve our education system and provide more opportunities for college students, stand shoulder to shoulder with our front-liners in times of crisis, improve our transport system, work with the labor sector to protect labor rights while finding ways to provide more jobs for Filipinos, strengthen our national security, and work with our legal volunteers to improve justice for our fellow Filipinos.”
In a statement, the party list said its victory is “a vote for the dreams of FPJ” for the country, referring to the late actor-director Fernando Poe Jr. whose work sought to reflect the struggles and aspirations of ordinary Filipinos. Poe also ran for president in 2004, hinging his campaign on that theme.
“This victory represents the continuation of FPJ’s legacy, an icon of hope, and advances the championed efforts of Sen. Grace Poe throughout her 12 years in the Senate,” the group said. —WITH REPORTS FROM THE INQUIRER STAFF
