Guanzon gets Comelec nod as P3WP party-list nominee 

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday granted the nomination of Maria Rowena V. Guanzon, a retired commissioner of the election body, as the P3WP party-list group’s representative in the incoming 19th Philippine Congress after five of its previous nominees resigned on Tuesday. 

“Upon majority vote, the Comelec in its regular en banc meeting today, June 15, 2022, approved the recommendation of the law department on the June 14, 2022 submission of Komunidad ng Pamilya, Pasyente at Persons with Disabilities (P3PWD),” Acting Comelec Spokesperson John Rex C. Laudiangco told reporters in a Viber message. 

He noted that Comelec will release a copy of the resolution at a later date. 

On Tuesday, Ms. Guanzon, who retired from the Comelec in February, had submitted notarized certificates of acceptance to become the P3WP’s first nominee.

“This is not the first time that this issue happened, with ‘all’ nominees withdrawing the acceptance of their nominations after the close of the polls,” Mr. Laudiangco said. “In all instances, the ruling of the commission has been consistent.” 

Under the Party-list System Act, groups that win seats in Congress may still submit a new set of nominees in case of vacancies. 

The party-list group had placed 24th out of the 55 winning groups in the May 9 national and local elections, earning a seat in the House of Representatives. 

The law provides that elected officials from these groups must belong to “marginalized and underrepresented sectors.”

P3WP aims to represent the interests of persons with disabilities.

In this year’s elections, 177 party-list groups were accredited by the Comelec, which has said that any changes in the party-list system would require legislation by Congress. — John Victor D. Ordoñez