Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday expressed confidence that proposed amendments to the country’s party-list law could restore the system’s original intent, saying ongoing Senate deliberations may produce what he described as an “almost perfect” measure.
Sotto made the remarks as he co-sponsored Senate Bill No. 2090 under Committee Report No. 57, which seeks to strengthen the party-list system and repeal Republic Act No. 7941, or the Party-List System Act.
The proposed measure aims to ensure proportional representation in the House of Representatives and address long-standing concerns over how the party-list system has been interpreted and implemented over the years.
Sotto said the system has gradually deviated from the vision of the framers of the 1987 Constitution and the lawmakers who originally enacted the law, noting that it has been used in ways that do not always serve the public interest.
“The deviation from the true mandate of the party-list system, which is to increase the social, economic and political inequalities, has created the evil that was sought to be prevented by the framers of our Constitution,” said Sotto.
Citing a ruling by former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban in the case of Bayan Muna vs. COMELEC, Sotto emphasized that the party-list system was intended to empower ordinary citizens, particularly marginalized groups, to participate directly in lawmaking.
He said the system should not only provide representation but also elevate underrepresented sectors into positions where they can actively shape policies that affect their lives.
“I definitely concur with Chief Justice Panganiban, and so today I hope we will be able to reform the Party-list law to reflect the mandate and intent of the original law and of the Constitution. As of now, we might say that it might not be in its perfect state, but after the points that could be raised, it definitely could be improved after the period of interpellations,” said Sotto.
He expressed optimism that the Senate, under the leadership of Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Committee on Electoral Reform, will be able to refine the measure further during deliberations.
“I am sure with the leadership of the Chairperson of the Committee on Electoral Reform, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, we will be able to come up with an almost perfect law for the Party-list system in our country today,” he added.