Bigkis failed to obtain 2% of the votes in not just 2 but 3 consecutive elections

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has included in its list of party-list participants this year a group that should have been disqualified for failing to win in the past 2 elections.

Bigkis Pinoy Movement or Bigkis, which is widely believed to be funded by the state-run gaming corporation, is still in the running, listed among the 150 groups vying for party-list seats in the House of Representatives.

Under Republic Act 7941 or the Party-list System Act, the election body can cancel the accreditation of a party-list group if it “fails to participate or obtain at least 2% of the votes cast under the party-list system in the 2 preceding elections.”

Told about the case of Bigkis, Comelec law department director Ferdinand Rafanan said he would check the matter. The law department initially screens the groups seeking to participate in the party-list race, before they are finally accredited by the commission.

Bigkis—originally named Bigkis Pinoy Foundation—first joined the party-list race in 2001, getting 1.03% of the votes cast for the exercise.

In 2004, it again participated in the party-list race, but only obtained 1.5%.

In 2007, when should have been de-listed already, it got a dismal 0.48% of the votes cast.

In October 2009, the Comelec delisted 25 party-list groups for having failed to meet the 2% vote requirement. Among them were Abanse Pinay, the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation Inc. (Cocofed), the People’s Movement against Poverty (PMAP), and Migrante International.

In 2007, the Comelec removed 34 out of the 77 registered party-list groups for the same reason.

Bigkis is closely associated with state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) and its officials. Its nominees in the past 3 elections have ties with Pagcor.

Its nominees in 2001, Edward King and Ramuel Agoncillo, were appointed as heads of Pagcor’s Public and Community Relations a year after Bigkis failed to reach the 2% threshold in the party list.

Other nominees—like Mario Cornista (2001), Ismael Tabo (2004), and Tomas Toledo (2007)—are all Pagcor consultants.

Its 2007 nominee, businesswoman Sheryl Genuino-See, is the daughter of Pagcor chair Efraim Genuino. —with reports from Aries Rufo, Newsbreak