Voters crowd a school converted into a polling precinct in Manila to cast their votes. (Photo from the British Broadcasting Corporation)
After spending nearly seven years in detention for crimes she did not commit, former senator Leila De Lima is poised to return to Congress—this time, as a lawmaker beyond prison walls.
A staunch critic of former president Rodrigo ‘Rody’ Duterte (FPRRD) who was recently acquitted of illegal drug trade charges, De Lima is expected to fill up the lone seat for the relatively new Mamamayang Liberal (ML) party-list group which garnered 546,689 votes, or 1.31 percent of the total votes based on partial results of the recently concluded May 12 midterm polls.
ML had performed poorly in pre-election surveys but it made a surprising turnaround as it currently ranks number 14.
Meanwhile, out of the 63 seats reserved for party-list groups, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disclosed that the top 53 party-lists are likely to secure representation in the 20th Congress, with 47 of them expected to get just one seat each.
The four leading groups—Akbayan, Duterte Youth, Tingog and 4Ps—are on track to win three seats each and with ACT-CIS and Ako Bicol each securing two seats. Together, these six parties account for 16 House seats.
This leaves 47 seats, each allocated to the party-lists ranked after the first six.
Nineteen of the groups expected to win one seat are either new contenders or returning party-lists, while 28 are incumbent organizations.
Here are the 47 party-lists forecasted to secure one House seat and their ranking, percentage and number of votes:
– 7 Uswag Ilonggo (incumbent) 1.86 percent, 776,842 votes;
– 8 Solid North (new) 1.83 percent, 764,433
– 9 Trabaho (new) 1.61 percent, 671,067 votes;
– 10 CIBAC (incumbent) 1.42 percent, 593,398 votes;
– 11 Senior Citizens (incumbent) 1.38 percent, 576,614 votes;
– 12 Malasakit@Bayanihan (incumbent) 1.38 percent, 575,341 votes;
– 13 PPP (new) 1.38 percent, 574,508 votes;
– 14 Mamamayang Liberal (new) 1.31 percent, 546,689 votes
– 15 FPJ Panday Bayanihan (new) 1.28 percent, 533,953 votes;
– 16 United Senior Citizens (incumbent) 1.28 percent, 532,853 votes;
– 17 4K (new) 1.25 percent, 518,726 votes;
– 18 LPGMA (incumbent) 1.24 percent, 517,182 votes;
– 19 COOP-NATCCO (incumbent) 1.22 percent, 509,282 votes
– 20 Ako Bisaya (incumbent) 1.15 percent, 477,589 votes;
– 21 CWS (incumbent) 1.14% 476,926 votes;
– 22 Pinoy Workers (new) 1.14% 475,586 votes;
– 23 AGAP (incumbent) 1.13 percent, 468,776 votes;
– 24 Asenso Pinoy (new) 1.01 percent, 422,269 votes;
– 25 Agimat (incumbent) 1.01 percent, 420,641 votes;
– 26 Sagip (incumbent) 0.97 percent, 404,694 votes;
– 27 TGP (incumbent) 0.97 percent, 403,625 votes;
– 28 1-Rider Party-list (incumbent) 0.93 percent, 385,344 votes;
– 29 Kamanggagawa (new) 0.92 percent, 382,283 votes;
– 30 Galing sa Puso (incumbent) 0.92 percent, 381,350 votes;
– 31 ALONA 0.91% 379,851 Incumbent;
– 32 Kanalayan (new) 0.91ercent, 379,208 votes;
– 33 Bicol Saro (incumbent) 0.88 percent, 365,888 votes;
– 34 ACT Teachers (incumbent) 0.85 percent, 353,111 votes;
– 35 Kudug Tausug (incumbent) 0.82, percent, 340,002 votes;
– 36 One Coop (new) 0.79 percent, 331,083 votes;
– 37 KM Ngayon Na (new) 0.78 percent, 323,591 votes;
– 38 Bagong Henerasyon (incumbent) 0.77 percent, 319,362 votes;
– 39 Abamin (new) 0.76 percent, 315,144 votes;
– 40 TUCP (incumbent) 0.75 percent, 311,934 votes;
– 41 Kabataan (incumbent) 0.75 percent, 311,671 votes;
– 42 Magbubukid 0.74% 309,816 New;
– 43 APEC (incumbent) 0.74 percent, 309,495 votes;
– 44 1Tahanan (new) 0.74 percent, 309,492 votes;
– 45 Ako Ilocano Ako (incumbent) 0.72 percent, 301,179 votes;
– 46 Manila Teachers (incumbent) 0.72 percent, 301,012 votes; and
– 47 Nanay (new) 0.70 percent, 293,294 votes.
Those groups who may still catch up are the following:
– 48 SSS-GSIS Pensyonado (new) 0.70 percent, 289,597 votes;
– 49 Dumper-PTDA (incumbent) 0.67 percent, 279,379 votes;
– 50 Kapuso PM (news) 0.67 percent, 278,476 votes;
– 51 Abang Lingkod (incumbent) 0.66 percent, 274,723 votes;
– 52 Pusong Pinoy (incumbent) 0.64, percent, 266,487 votes; and
– 53 Swerte (new) 0.63 percent, 261,293 votes. (Tracy Cabrera)
