Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 7941)
The official title is the "Party-List System Act."
The State shall 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 have representation.
Registered national, regional, and sectoral parties, organizations, or coalitions thereof registered with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) may participate.
The sectors include labor, peasant, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, elderly, handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers, and professionals.
The nominee must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, registered voter, 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, and at least 25 years old (with age limits for youth sector nominees).
Every voter is entitled to two votes: one for a candidate in their legislative district and one for a party, organization, or coalition under the party-list system.
Party-list representatives shall constitute twenty percent (20%) of the total number of members of the House of Representatives.
A party-list must receive at least two percent (2%) of the total votes cast for the party-list system to be entitled to one seat.
Grounds include being a religious sect, advocating violence, being a foreign party, receiving foreign support, violating election laws, submitting untruthful statements, ceasing to exist for at least one year, or failing participation requirements in prior elections.
They shall forfeit their seat; if the change occurs within six months before an election, they are not eligible for nomination under the new party.
Party-list representatives serve a term of three (3) years and may not serve more than three consecutive terms.
Vacancies are filled by the next nominee on the party's submitted list; if the list is exhausted, the party must submit additional nominees.
The first party-list election was held in May 1998.
Nominees cannot be candidates for any elective office nor have lost in the immediately preceding election.
No, the certified list only shows the names of parties, organizations, or coalitions, not the nominees' names.