MANILA -- A party-list group, which is advocating the interest of Filipinos working abroad, petitioned the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) denying its its application for registration for the mid-term elections.
In a 22-page petition, the Advocates and Keepers Organizations of OFW, Inc. (AKO-OFW), through its chairman, Celerino Umandap, asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Comelec.
The group said the Comelec en banc committed grave abuse of discretion when it ruled on Jan. 15, 2019 that the group failed to comply with the requirement of consent under Section 6 (1) of Comelec Resolution No. 9366, which provides for the guidelines for party list groups participating in the elections.
The poll body noted that AKO-OFW indicated in its petition for registration that only the majority of its members have consented to the filing of the petition.
The group argued that the Comelec failed to take into consideration that its petition was supported with documentary evidence of consent and approval of its members and officers.
“The petition for registration of AKO OFW substantially complied with the requirement of the law. The failure of the Comelec to scrutinize the documents supporting the petition, the amended petition and the motion for reconsideration, and most importantly all the annexes attached thereto, amounted to utter evasion to perform its duty to dispose the matter with utmost care and vigilance in the light of the spirit and intent of the party-list law,” the petition reads.
The group added that in compliance with the requirement of consent, it attached in its petition before the Comelec pertinent board resolutions showing that consent was given by its officers to the filing of the petition for registration.
“The subject board resolutions and secretary certificate adequately show that the meeting was held to ensure that the filing of the petition was approved by all of its officers and members of AKO OFW,” the petition added. (PNA)
