The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Tracy Cabrera
SENATE. Pasay City — With some sectoral representation being accused of involvement in corruption and irregularities in government’s infrastructure development initiatives embroiled, Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV is now seeking to reform the country’s party-list system by ensuring that it remains exclusively for marginalized and underrepresented sectors.
This came in the wake of growing concerns that the current mechanism governing the inclusion of party-list groups in the country’s electoral process has been exploited by political dynasties and there are also sectoral representatives who have vested interests in running for election.
Aquino filed Senate Bill (SB) 1559 to amend Republic Act (RA) 7941, or the Party-List System Act, which, the senator said, its original intent has been undermined by groups and nominees who do not genuinely belong to, nor represent, marginalized sectors.
The nephew of the late president Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino and cousin of also the late president Benigno Simeon ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III cited a 2025 study by election watchdog group Kontra Daya, which found that 86 of the 156 accredited party-list groups which participated in the May elections had close links to political clans and large private corporations.
He added that the study likewise revealed that several party-list nominees were relatives or close allies of incumbent politicians and business groups, with no clear track record of belonging to the sectors they claimed to represent.
Civil society organizations, including the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (ICSI), have repeatedly warned against what they describe as the “elite capture” of the party-list system, calling for reforms to restore its credibility and integrity.
This is why, he pointed out, it is important to institute reforms and under SB 1559, party-list groups will have to undergo public hearings to demonstrate that they genuinely represent marginalized sectors. Aside from this, the measure also seeks to ensure that party-list nominees come from the sectors they represent and have a proven track record of advocacy.
“The proposed reforms aim to strengthen democratic participation and public trust in electoral institutions. This measure ensures that the party-list system truly serves the many, not the few,” he noted to conclude.