Senator Sotto hopes reforms in the party-list system will restore PH Constitution's original intent

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III expressed optimism that the proposed amendments to the Party-list System Act will align the law more closely with the original intent of the Constitution.

He noted that ongoing Senate deliberations and interpellations provide a significant opportunity to further improve the measure.

Sotto co-sponsored Senate Bill No. 2090, under Committee Report No. 57 which seeks to strengthen the party-list system and repeal Republic Act No. 7941, also known as the Party-List System Act.

Sotto noted that interpretations of the law have expanded over the years, straying from the original intentions of both the framers of the 1987 Constitution and the lawmakers who enacted the measure.

He said the party-list system has been misused and turned into a platform for advocacies that may not serve the government’s best interests.

"The deviation from the true mandate of the party-list system, which is to increase the social, economic and political inequalities, has created the evil that was sought to be prevented by the framers of our Constitution," said Sotto.

Citing former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban’s ruling in Bayan Muna v. COMELEC, Sotto emphasized that the party-list system was designed to empower ordinary citizens, particularly marginalized groups, to participate directly in the legislative process.

According to Sotto, the system was designed not only to provide representation for underrepresented sectors but also to empower them to influence policies affecting their communities.

He noted that this strengthens representative democracy by allowing marginalized groups to become active participants in the legislative process, rather than mere recipients of government action.

"I definitely concur with Chief Justice Panganiban, and so today I hope we will be able to reform the Party-list law to reflect the mandate and intent of the original law and of the Constitution. As of now, we might say that it might not be in its perfect state, but after the points that could be raised, it definitely could be improved after the period of interpellations," said Sotto.

"I am sure with the leadership of the Chairperson of the Committee on Electoral Reform, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, we will be able to come up with an almost perfect law for the Party-list system in our country today," he added.

-Paraluman News