MANILA – Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III is eyeing to push for reforms in the party-list system if ever he gets to be elected again as a legislator.
In a press briefing on Monday, Pimentel said he agrees with concerns that the current party-list system became an option for political families to expand their influence.
“Ibig sabihin nun, lumalaki yung political family. Yung elective positions sa isang lugar kulang na para sa kanila. Eh paano padagdagan? Party-list. Ganon na ang nangyayari (That means, the political family is growing. The elective positions in one place are not enough for them. How to increase it? Party-list. That is what’s happening),” Pimentel said.
“Dinadagdagan lang daw nila yung pwersa nung district representative na kamag-anak nila. So, nasira na po yung essence of the party-list system na sana the poor and the marginalized (They said they were only increasing the clout of the district representative who is also their relative. So, the essence of the party-list system, which is supposed to be the poor and the marginalized, has been broken),” he said.
The senator also cited that the word “regional” written in the Constitution should be one of the amendments saying it makes the party-list system regional in its approach.
The reform, Pimentel said, should make the party-list constituency national and only exclusive for the marginalized sectors to be enumerated.
He said all party-list nominees should also be members of the marginalized sector.
Pimentel filed on Sunday his certificate of candidacy for congressman of the first district of Marikina. (PNA)