Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 7941)
The official title of Republic Act No. 7941 is the "Party-List System Act."
The main policy objective is to promote proportional representation in the election of representatives to the House of Representatives through a party-list system that enables marginalized and underrepresented sectors to become members of the House.
The party-list system is a mechanism of proportional representation in the election of representatives to the House of Representatives from registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
Any organized group of persons may register as a party, organization, or coalition for purposes of the party-list system by filing a verified petition with COMELEC, including national, regional, or sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof.
The sectors include labor, peasant, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, elderly, handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers, and professionals.
Grounds include: being a religious sect or denomination, advocating violence, being a foreign party, receiving foreign support for partisan purposes, violating election laws, making untruthful statements, ceasing to exist for at least one year, or failing to participate or obtain sufficient votes in previous elections.
Every voter is entitled to two votes: one for a district representative and one for a party, organization, or coalition under the party-list system.
Twenty percent (20%) of the total number of members of the House of Representatives, including those under the party-list, is reserved for party-list representatives.
A party, organization, or coalition must obtain at least two percent (2%) of the total votes cast under the party-list system to be entitled to one seat.
Each party, organization, or coalition is entitled to not more than three (3) seats.
A nominee must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, a registered voter, a resident of the Philippines for at least one year before the election, able to read and write, a bona fide member of the party for at least 90 days before the election, and at least 25 years old on election day (youth sector nominees must be between 25 and 30 years old).
The representative shall forfeit their seat; if the change occurs within six months before an election, they become ineligible for nomination under their new party or organization.
Vacancies are filled automatically by the next nominee in the order submitted to COMELEC by the same party; if the list is exhausted, the party must submit additional nominees.
Party-list representatives serve three-year terms and may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.
The first election under the party-list system was held in May 1998.