The Commission on Elections has announced that 256 aspiring partylist groups and 48 political parties have filed for accreditation from the poll body during the deadline of filing of petitions for registration last Monday.

“We were literally swamped with applications especially from aspiring partylist groups,” said COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez.

Jimenez noted that the parties who applied for accreditation ranged from those who claim to represent cock fighting aficionados, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) purveyors, security guards, call center agents, albolaryos (rustic doctors), among others.

While some sectors view the deluge of applications for partylist accreditation as a mockery of the intent and spirit of the process, Jimenez maintained that the COMELEC welcomes all applications from aspiring partylist groups, stressing that this could be a telling sign of growing peoples’ awareness to the fourteen year old partylist system.

“If they truly belong to the marginalized and deserve representation in government, then not even the COMELEC could stop them from participating in the partylist race. But we must understand that we will be strict in screening all applications in order to ensure that the partylist system is not put in ridicule and disdain,” said Jimenez.

The Partylist Act, approved March 3, 1995, aims to provide proportional representation to marginalized and underrepresented sectors in our society in the House of Representatives.

During the 2007 elections, 93 partylist groups were accredited by the COMELEC. ###