COMELEC has proclaimed the new party list representatives to the House of Representatives. Some groups are claiming that some party list representatives are not eligible to have a seat in Congress. They're right. Ma. Lourdes Arroyo is not eligible to be a party list representative because jurisprudence prevents her from doing so. Ang Bagong Bayani v. COMELEC provides that only individuals representing the marginalized and underprivileged sectors of society may hold a seat as a party list representative in Congress. Ma. Lourdes Arroyo, being the President's sister-in-law, doesn't fit into this category. How can she consider herself to represent the marginalized and undeprivileged when she is connected with the family in power? It is against the law for her to be a party list representative.
The reason why she ran as party list representative is very obvious: she is a reinforcement in the bid to change the charter of the Philippines. This should be stopped. Charter change should take place after the elections, not before. Those who are advocating it are doing it not for the Filipino people but for their own welfare (read: term extensions). Besides, if they change the constitution, we law students would have to take Constitutional Law all over again. Now that would be a bad prospect!
