THE PARTY-LIST system was supposed to open a door for those who had long been left outside Congress.
Under Article VI, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution, 20 percent of the House is reserved for national, regional and sectoral parties. Republic Act No. 7941 or the Party-List System Act sought to give marginalized and underrepresented Filipinos a voice in lawmaking.
The idea was simple. Farmers should have someone who understands farming. Workers should have someone who knows their struggles. The urban poor, fisherfolk, women and other neglected sectors should have a seat at the table.
Almost 40 years later, however, we couldn’t help but ask.
Who is actually sitting at that table?
A study by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) revealed that 32 of the 64 party-list representatives in the 20th Congress have ties to active political clans. Nearly one-third have links to government contractors.
Look at Tingog. Its representatives include Andrew Romualdez, son of Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Yedda Romualdez, the Speaker’s wife.
Agimat is represented by Bryan Revilla, son of Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla. The Revillas also occupy other elective posts.
Ako Ilocano Ako is represented by Richelle Singson, while her brother Ronald Singson represents Ilocos Sur’s first district and their second cousin Kristine Singson-Meehan represents the second district.
Then there is Magbubukid, which is supposed to speak for farmers. Its representative, Ferdinand “B1” Beltran, is identified in corporate records as owner of a Pampanga public-works contracting company. His family also has interests in another construction firm.
And CWS or Construction Workers Solidarity? Its representative Edwin Gardiola has also been identified by PCIJ as a flood-control contractor.
While these are not necessarily illegal arrangements, they raise an uncomfortable question: Can representation be genuine when the representative’s background, business interests or political connections are far detached from the sector’s ordinary members?
The problem is not limited to dynasties.
FPJ Panday Bayanihan carries the initials and top-grossing film of movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. Its representative is Brian Poe-Llamanzares, son of former senator Grace Poe. According to PCIJ, the party-list also spent nearly P98 million in the 2025 campaign.
Popularity, family names and political machinery can apparently travel through the party-list door.
And that may be the greatest irony.
A system created to weaken traditional political dominance can become another route for dynasties, contractors and familiar political names to enter Congress.
Senator Risa Hontiveros has proposed reforms that would tighten rules on political dynasties and contractors and strengthen genuine sectoral representation. Other reform proposals are also pending.
The debate should not be about personalities but about principle.
A party-list seat should represent a sector and not merely carry its name.
Otherwise, the marginalized remain outside the door while the powerful discover another way to come in.
