WITH less than a year before the May 2025 polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), yesterday proclaimed the Akbayan Citizens Action Party (Akbayan) as among the winning party-lists in the May 2022 elections.

In the Certificate of Proclamation released by the NBOC on Wednesday, Akbayan first nominee Percival V. Cendaña was proclaimed as representative of the party-list in the 19th Congress.

“We, the Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission on Elections, sitting En Banc as the National Board of Canvassers for the Party-List System in the Automated National and Local Elections of May 9, 2022, do hereby proclaim Akbayan as having obtained the required percentage of votes under the party-list system of representation,” said the Comelec.

“(This) entitles its qualified nominee Percival V. Cendaña to sit as representative to the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Philippines for a term ending on June 30, 2025,” it said.

Back in the May 2022 polls, Akbayan received 236,226 votes, making it entitled to one seat in the lower house.

Akbayan’s proclamation comes on the heels of the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold the earlier ruling of the Comelec to cancel An Waray’s registration as a party-list organization.

This after An Waray nominee, Victoria Isabel Noel, was found by the Comelec to have illegally assumed office as second representative of the party-list in the 16th Congress sans a Certificate of Proclamation issued after the 2013 polls. 

In response, the House of Representatives officially removed the An Waray party-list from the members of the 19th Congress.

In an interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said Akbayan and Cendaña can immediately assume office after taking his oath of office.

“At least, he is able to make it before the break. Once they resume session in Congress come November, he is already considered as a member of the House of Representatives,” said Garcia.

In a statement, Akbayan thanked the Comelec for its swift decision on the issue of proclaiming the group as a winning party-list in the last elections.

Akbayan president Rafaela David said it is hopeful that the House leadership will similarly act on the matter swiftly by allowing Cendaña to immediately assume office.

“The next and final step now is for the House of Representatives to officially swear in our first nominee as a member of the Lower House,” said David.

She said the return of Akbayan to the Lower House can be considered as a “big win” for all progressive, democratic, and reform-oriented forces in the country.

“It is a validation of the work of progressive, democratic, and reform-oriented forces to rein in the abuses and counter the excesses committed during the previous administration,” said David.

Meanwhile, the Comelec said that from 177 groups in the May 2022 polls, the number of party-lists running in the May 2025 national and local elections could be down to 165.

The Comelec is finalizing the list of party-list organizations that will be included in the official ballots for the forthcoming electoral exercise.

“More or less, by our latest estimates, there will be 164 to 165 party-list groups that will be participating in the 2025 national and local elections,” Garcia said in an interview.

He said this includes the 42 newly accredited party-list groups and the existing party-lists, or those that have won in the last election, received two percent of the votes, or those that had sufficient votes to earn a seat, or those who failed to earn a seat only once so far.

He reiterated that they will come out with the final list of party-lists within the week.

Under Resolution No. 11068, the Comelec has set the date of the party-list raffle on October 18 at the Palacio del Gobernador Building in Intramuros, Manila.

The conduct of raffle of accredited party-list groups will determine the order of their listing on the official ballots.

The party-list raffle shall use an automated system with the entire process to be displayed on the screen, and the results printed afterwards.

To be included in the raffle are existing party-list groups, organizations, or coalitions with active registration on the day of the raffle; and those with duly filed Manifestation of Intent to Participate in the Party-List System that was given due course by the Commission.

Also to be included are the newly registered party-list groups, organizations, or coalitions with timely-filed Manifestation of Intent to Participate in the Party-List System that was given due course by the Commission.

Each party-list group, organization, or coalition are required to personally attend the raffle at the venue.