MANILA, Philippines – The party-list system is in need of reforms to ensure that only the marginalized sectors of society are genuinely represented and not the “interest of moneyed politicians and businesses,” detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima said Monday. 7941, also known as the Party-list Law, to “clarify the ambiguities conveniently used and circumvented by politicians with vested interests to make a mockery of the system and vault themselves to power.”ADVERTISEMENT“Prostituting the partylist system can no longer be allowed to persist… It is high time we emphasize that the partylist system of representation is, more than titles and seats, a social justice tool that ought to give more law to those who have less in life,” the lawmaker stressed. The deliberations of the framers of the 1987 Constitution indicated that the party-list system was conceived to “democratize political power by encouraging the growth of a multi-party system,” De Lima argued. Citing the case of Bayan Muna vs. Comelec, the senator pointed out that former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban underscored the importance of the party-list system in empowering the masses to directly participate in legislation that would benefit them. /gsgREAD: 7 House members richer by more than 100% in a span of one yearRead NextLATEST STORIESMOST READ

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 15, 2019 03:45 UTC