The Supreme Court (SC) has granted the petition of the Magsasaka party-list to nullify the rulings of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recognizing Soliman Villamin Jr. as national chairperson despite his removal from the party.
At a press conference on Thursday, SC spokesperson Camille Sue May Ting said the Court ruled that the Comelec “gravely abused its discretion when it focused on determining whether Magsasaka complied with due process in removing Villamin as its national chairperson, but disregarded the reason behind his removal—his alleged illegal activities and its effects on the party as a whole.”
“While the Comelec has limited jurisdiction over intra-party leadership disputes, it does not mean that the Comelec can substitute its own judgment for that of the party,” the May 21, 2024, decision read.
“The Comelec cannot disregard the party’s actions simply because these do not appear to be in line with the Comelec’s interpretation of the party’s Saligang Batas. A party must be allowed to interpret its own governing rules and remove officials from participating in its own affairs,” it further read.
Since Villamin was validly expelled as the national chairperson of Magsasaka, Ting said that he no longer had the authority to file the manifestation of intent to participate (MIP) in the 2022 elections.
“Thus, his nominee, Roberto Gerard L. Nazal Jr., could not have been validly proclaimed as Magsasaka party-list representative in the House of Representatives,” she said.
In the decision, the Comelec was “ordered to give due course to the nominations of Magsasaka and issue a Certificate of Proclamation to the rightful nominee as the Magsasaka party-list representative in the 19th Congress, pursuant to the tenor of this decision.”
The SC decision emphasized that “the Court is not ruling on the qualifications of Nazal as a representative or nominee. That Nazal will not be able to sit as the party’s representative in the House of Representatives is merely a consequence of the finding that Villamin was validly removed as national chairperson and no longer had authority to file the MIP.”
On October 10, 2022, the Comelec issued a certificate of proclamation recognizing Nazal as a qualified nominee for the Magsasaka party-list.
Nazal took his oath of office the same day.
He assumed office four months after the party won the elections since the Comelec had to resolve the internal dispute between Villamin and the faction led by former Magsasaka party-list representative Argel Joseph Cabatbat.
The SC decision would pave the way for Cabatbat to reclaim his congressional seat.
“Ang may-ari ng Magsasaka party-list ay ang mga magsasakang Pilipino, kaya ang pagkapanalo sa Supreme Court ay pagkapanalo ng mga lahat ng ating magsasaka,” said Cabatbat in a statement.
(Since the Magsasaka party-list is owned by Filipino farmers, the Supreme Court’s decision represents a win for all farmers.) —VBL, GMA Integrated News
Be the first to comment