Coalition calls for political party reforms

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, Comelec Political Finance and Affairs Department Director Efraim Bag-id, PARTICIPATE Chief of Party Dr. Julio Teehankee, and 11 political party representatives pose for a group photo. ADA MAY SACIL

A pro-democracy coalition called for reforms to address the country’s weak political party system ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.

The group cited the need for party institutionalization to consolidate democracy in the forum titled “Updates on Political Party Institutionalization and the 2025 National and Local Elections,” organized by the PARTICIPATE consortium.

“Political parties serve as the critical link to consolidating democracy in any political system,” said Julio Teehankee, PARTICIPATE’s chief of party, in the forum last Nov. 22.

In his keynote speech, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said revising the 1985 Omnibus Election Code, which allows problematic electoral substitutions, was urgent.

The elections chief also said budget cuts had posed threats to the upcoming elections in the form of reduced receipts and precincts disproportionate to the projected voter increase of at least 3 million.

Director Efraim Bag-id of the Political Finance and Affairs Department of Comelec discussed efforts to monitor and supervise electoral parties to enforce laws against violations of election regulations.

The event served as a soft launch for the Academy of Multiparty Democracy, which aims to address issues within the political party system in the Philippines, including political turncoatism, by training mid-level officers and representatives and pushing for the institutionalization of political parties.

The program, set to operate from November 2023 to February 2024, will train participants on political party institutionalization, modern political party management, and effective communication with the electorate in the digital age.

Among the political parties that joined the event were the Akbayan Party, Aksyon Demokratiko, Bayan Muna, Basilan Unity Party, Liberal Party, Partido Reporma, Partido Lakas ng Masa, Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, National Unity Party, and Labor Party Philippines. Yvounne Bermudo, Ada Sacil

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