The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Second Division ruled yesterday that the petition for registration and accreditation of ANG LADLAD PARTY is ‘denied for lack of merit.’
In a resolution dated February 27, 2007 and signed by Presiding Commissioner Florentino A. Tuason Jr. and member Commissioners Rene V. Sarmiento and Nicodemo T. Ferrer; the COMELEC Second Division said that Ang Ladlad declared untruthful statements in their petition submitted before the Commission on September 15, 2006.
The resolution states: “Contrary to petitioner’s allegation in its petition that its membership is national in scope, reports from our field offices reveal that it doesn’t exist in most regions of the country.”
COMELEC Spokesman James Jimenez, for his part, said Ang Ladlad’s petition was rejected simply because it failed to comply with all the requirements of the law.
“The question of constituency is very important especially if you declare your party or organization as a national party with national membership” he said.
Jimenez however clarified that the poll body, in reaching the decision, never doubted Ang Ladlad’s sincerity in pushing for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender agenda if elected to Congress. “But we have to follow what the law says” he said.
The most recent Young Adult Fertility Survey data suggest that about 5% of the country’s youth are members of the LGBT family. This figure only accounts for citizens aged 15-24! Paano pa yung mga older LGBT individuals? I do not understand why the COMELEC can accredit cooperatives and other groups (who are NOT marginalized sectors), yet can deny an LGBT group party-list status. Do they not see how LGBT people are denigrated and discriminated against in Philippine society? It is high time that legislative representation be granted to LGBT people. We are productive, supportive yet underappreciated citizens of this country. And, most of all, we do not fabricate our membership list. We are everywhere.
Posted by Raymond Macapagal | 4 March 2007, 6:23 pmChairman Abalos better you RESIGN NOW
Posted by Joey | 5 March 2007, 11:31 amHi Joey,
Resign for what causa?
Village Tickler
Posted by villagetickler | 5 March 2007, 1:13 pmdapat ay bigyan ng pagkakataong tumakbo ang partido na Ang Ladlad. hayaan na ang lipunan ang magpasya sa pamamagitan ng pagboto at di dahil lang sa kung anong teknikalidad ng comelec. o baka naman, may mga takot na maging una sa bilangan ng partylist ang ANG LADLAD? dapat payagan: ANG LADLAD
Posted by Beth Calero | 5 March 2007, 8:14 pmI support Ang Ladlad,
I want to vote for it, I intend to back it and I want it to be accredited.
Accredit ANG LADLAD… NOW NA !
Posted by Pete Rahon | 5 March 2007, 10:28 pmhmmm… hinay hinay lang. i support the LGBT cause, I am also gay, but i read the resolution and the reports on ladlad’s accreditation, and i just have some questions.
1. Hindi ba dapat mas organisado Ang Ladlad para maipakita na meron talaga siya ng national membership? I am gay, but it doesn’t mean that Ladlad speaks on my behalf. The only way that Ladlad could prove that it has sufficient membership ay kung meron siya ng sapat na list ng members, hindi yung dami ng mga bakla at tomboy sa Pilipinas. Hindi naman ata maganda na i-claim na komo maraming bakla, miyembro na sila ng Ladlad. Hindi enough ang 300 members na binigay niya sa COMELEC.
Tingin ko rin, hindi rin magandang dahilan na hindi out ang maraming mga bakla, especially if we constantly hear from Prof. Remotos that Ladlad has thousands of supporters. E bat di pwedeng gawing members ang mga supporters na yun?
At the same time, COMELEC has to be more fair in its accreditation rules. Tutuong nakakadismaya na may mga grupo na kahit halatado namang wala miyembro, na-accredit sila. Granted, hoiwever, na may mga ganung kaso, hindi ito excuse para ma-accredit ang isang grupo na walang enough na miyembro kagaya ng Ladlad. Dapat fair and full implementation of the law.
2. my other question is, bakit hindi as a sectoral party nag-rehistro ang Ladlad? Bakit national party, tapos alam naman nila na 300 lang ang members na pwede nila mamobilize for accreditation?
Posted by M2M | 5 March 2007, 10:54 pmI strongly support Ang Ladlad.
I will encourage my Filipino friends and colleagues here in Bangkok to support the group.
Posted by Ryan Silverio | 6 March 2007, 2:44 amang bading nasa lahat ng sulok ng mundo. di nga national, actually global siya. marami nga lang na closeta sa amin. pero papanong magiging panakit ulo lang kami? may mga party list na puppet lang ng isang conservative religious group, may mga pangpamilya at pang kungpadre.. maging patas naman sana ang comelec. ano bang ginawa ng field officers ninyo? baka palaki lang ng tiyan?
Posted by Christopher Trinidad | 6 March 2007, 3:04 amLet it not be obvious why the Comelec is not allowing Ang Ladlad to be a party list candidate in this coming election. Just because Ang Ladlad does not agree with the policies of the current administration, the Comelec is moving heaven and hell to erase it from the ballots. Remember the numbers! They are so afraid!
I am supporting Ang Ladlad and if in the end it is not included in the official party list, my trust in this government is totally down the drain. Perhaps there is truth to the rumors.
Posted by Medel Templonuevo | 6 March 2007, 5:15 amCOMELEC has been giving the LGBT Community the round-a-round…1st they floated the idea that the LGBTs are not a disadvantaged/marginalized group deserving of sectoral representation, now they’re saying it does not have enough regional membership…Look around you, LGBTs are everywhere..they deserve this chance at proper political participation.
Posted by sheryl flores | 6 March 2007, 10:12 amI have many good friends in the LGBT Community..as early as the 1990s, with the formation of LAGABLAB, Filipino LGBTs have wanted an opportunity to make their voices be heard in the political arena..Ladlad’s bid for partylist acccreditation has taken a long-time coming. and it’s about time! COMELEC shld realize what this means..
Posted by Gayle De Vera | 6 March 2007, 10:17 amI am disappointed with M2M’s comments. Ladlad IS ORGANIZED and HAS a national membership spanning the whole Philippine archipelago. Sadly, not all LGBTs have joined it’s efforts by registering as members or by even supporting Ladlad’s bid by updating themselves on it’s latest activities. I enjoin M2M and other LGBTs to take a more definitive stand and ACT as part of the Philippine LGBT Community by supporting LADLAD instead of criticizing it for its alleged, perceived weaknesses.
Posted by Giselle Trixie | 6 March 2007, 10:29 ami support LADLAD!! give us a chance to have a representative in congress so our needs can be met.
Posted by Tet Millare | 6 March 2007, 1:30 pmAng Ladlad deserves accreditation. LGBTs are a marginalized sector. By referring to LGBTs as not being able to come out in the closet, therefore, they cannot support Ang Ladlad, is illogical. Kaya nga kelangan ng representation sa Congress para maipasa ang Anti-Discrimination Bill. It appears to me that the Comelec is not transparent in its decisions — why are other partylist reps being accredited when they are not marginalized? To make decisions based on technicality is a cop out. Unless the COMELEC is homophobic or trying to protect the interests of the administration it serves (it is no secret that some members of Ang Ladlad are not pro-administration). Accredit Ladlad! Now na!
Posted by Malu S. Marin | 7 March 2007, 12:52 pmAs a gay pride activist and privte citizen, I put my own future at stake
when I joined the first ever Asian Gay pride March down Quezon Avenue 1995
and have actively advocated the Gay Pride celebrations since then.
I support Ang Ladlad, I want to have the choice of voting for it, that I
intend to back up its right to exist as a Party List, that I believe it
deserves to be recognized as a Party List for the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and
Transgendered persons in the Philippines and that I want it to receive
accreditation.
Either the Comelec or Ang Ladlad was lying—and the way to find out who’s
lying is to take an active stance with our advocacies… I will not take
the Comelec’s slander lying down.
Whether I am gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgendered or straight is NOT the
point…
My willingness to accept, include and also respect the POLITICAL RIGHTS OF
OUR GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED SIBLINGS is the whole point
of this email.
I hope smallminded ness and government bureacracy will be replaced by
revolutionary ideals and forward-thinking leadership very soon.
CHANGE THE COMELEC OFFICERS’ DECISION. HONOR AND RESPECT THE POLITICAL
RIGHTS OF OUR GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED SIBLINGS.
Sincerely,
Sam Salbino Prudente
Molo, Iloilo City
Posted by sam prudente | 7 March 2007, 9:53 pmI support ANG LADLAD!
I will vote for it, I intend to back it and I want it to be accredited.
Accredit ANG LADLAD! NOW NA !
Posted by JV UY | 8 March 2007, 12:51 amPlease accredit Ang Ladlad, as it seeks to represent the LGBT community in the Philippines. This sector is truly marginalized, more marginalized than KAKUSA, which represents CONVICTS, who, by definition, are those who have been convicted of a crime. Is the COMELEC telling us that these CONVICTS need representation in Congress more than the LGBTs?
Accredit ANG LADLAD!!!
Posted by EdgarJ | 8 March 2007, 7:02 amAng Ladlad deserves a chance to be heard. WE deserve a chance to be heard.
I believe the party has submitted everything in order. May the Comelec, in good faith, review the papers and vote favorably in legitimizing this truly marginalized sector. May it do this free of bias and prejudice.
Accredit Ang Ladlad. Now NA!
Posted by Quarx | 8 March 2007, 9:03 amDear Commissioners Abalos, Tuason and Ferrer,
I am totally disgusted, insulted and angry at your decision not to accredit ANG LADLAD and declare my very good friend Danton Remoto who is more popular than Joselito Cayetano.
What happened to this Constitutional body? Are you guys selling your soul and have accepted bribes from Malacanang? What have come into your mind by coming up with such a decision? What happened to your education? your ideals? I hope someday, your siblings would not ask you why you did not accredit Ang Ladlad, why have you allowed the continued institutionalized discrimination to the LGBT Community and will face the reality that no family is exempted to having a gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual member.
I see no reason why you said that Ang Ladlad has no national constituency. The truth is that the LGBT is all over the Philippines, within the congress, the senate, the office of the president, the stock exchange, the military, and even in the COMELEC. So I dont understand that reasoning. And saying that we all have to come out and let the COMELEC know who our membership are is a blatant abuse of authority and disrespect to rights to privacy of people who are not comfortable of telling the public the reality of their gender just like some of our senators and some of our COMELEC Commissioners. This statement is very much discriminatory and truly it’s very malicious putting a national organization and a highly respected individual in mockery. Truly, this is a violation of our human rights and that is the very reason why Ang Ladlad is running and participating the Party List System. This statement should be brought into the eye of the public for scrutiny and to Human Rights organization like the Commission on human Rights for investigation. The COMELEC and Chairman Abalos should pay for this action. That statement personifies a person who is truly gender insensitive. Perhaps, Commissioner Abalos should enroll in one of my workshop on gender sensitivity with the other closet gays who also discriminates gay which after a few sessions they realized they are also discriminating themselves.
I do believe and I am totally convinced that this decision of the COMELEC is truly biased and with pressure from Malacanang after Lakas and Kampi emissaries seeking for Ang Ladlad’s endorsement has been rejected by the group despite its financial and car bribes. I’m sorry to tell this but yes that is the reality. We have almost been bribed if not because of our idealism that I truly and convincingly believe this Commission obviously lacks.
THE INTEGRITY OF THIS COMMISSION IS MORE THAN TARNISHED! IN FACT THIS COMMISSION CAN EVEN BE COMPARED TO NOTHING BUT GARBAGE.
I wrote a complaint to teh office of Abalso and Ferrer stating the involvement of foreign nationals in the registration process with pictures, yet this complaint has never and I think would never be entertained. Your decision on Joselito Cayetano is not even popular and has been denied by the KBL President is truly surprising and illogical. Your actions towards Chavit Singson’s use of money which is not allowed by law is truly a reflection of a Commissioner whose loyalty is not to the Constitution or country but to the President and an ex party mate. To this three commissioners please act upon it now.
YOUR BIASED DECISIONS, YOUR OBVIOUS LEANINGS TO MALACANANG AND YOUR HATRED TO THE OPPOSITION AND THE PRESIDENTS CRITIC IS MORE THAN OBVIOUS. THIS COMMISSION IS JUST WAITING TO BE DOOMED.
Patrick
Posted by Patrick Joseph Ty | 9 March 2007, 12:40 amSaying that lesbians and gays are neither men or women is the height of ignorance and insensitivity. Govt officials have no business making personal prejudices like that come out into the open when the subject at hand is about human rights and political participation. For all the gender and development efforts in the current bureaucracy, such biased statements is a major throwback.
Posted by GTPLeonin | 9 March 2007, 8:00 amACCREDIT AND LADLAD!!!
ACCREDIT MR. DANTON REMOTO!!!
Posted by Romelyn Rupisan | 11 March 2007, 4:59 pmWe are Courage Philippines, a lay Catholic spiritual support group.
http://www.couragerc.net
Our membership belongs to persons who are homosexually oriented (and we would like to be referred to as persons with same-sex attractions).
However, our group does not advocate the gay lifestyle nor the gay culture. We do not advocate same-sex unions, nor promote a lifestyle that predisposes a person to promiscuity. We do not adhere to the agenda of the group called Ang Ladlad, lead by Danton Remoto. We instead promote a life of chastity. We instead promote a life of true charity and intimacy with another person. We instead uphold the values of life, love and family under the teachings of the Catholic Church.
We support COMELEC for its decision to deny partylist accreditation to Ang Ladlad – because their ideals and gay agenda this group does not represent our ideals and goals. We are persons who homosexually oriented, but we do not support Ang Ladlad.
And our group belongs to a network of other organizations (such as Bagong Pag-asa, Living Waters Community) whose members are also homosexually oriented, yet also share in our goals and ideals of chastity and the true meanings of love and family.
If COMELEC changes its decision and accredits Ang Ladlad as a partylist, it has discredited us – because we have the same basic qualifications of members (persons with same-sex attractions), but we do not share their ideals and relativistic morality.
Not all homosexuals are alike.
We hope COMELEC and the general public sees that.
Posted by An "Alternative" Lifestyle | 22 March 2007, 11:06 pmGood day my fellow voters!
Contrary to the previous posts made here, I AM GLAD THAT COMELEC DECIDED “NO” FOR LAGABLAB.
Let me explain my point.
The term “marginalized”, which is a basis for which a group may be included in the partylist system, is defined in http://www.allwords.com as:
“To push something or someone to the edges of anything (especially of society or one’s consciousness), in order to reduce its or their effect, relevance, significance, etc.”
My question is: Can we say this definition is true of the gay community?
If Philippine society is indeed pushing the gay community on the edge, then I have several whys:
Why is there a significant number media exposures that present the and tackle the homosexual lifestyle? (such as movies “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros”, “Pusong Mamon”, “ZsaZsa Saturna” and a recent flick again by Rustom Padilla to be shown this month)
Why are there significant number of openly gay personalities known and respected?
Why are there organizations that promote the gay lifestyle that can openly rally and affect not only in the political arena but in most areas of Filipino lifestyle?
Why can we openly post comments and negatively bash against unpopular media or politicians who stand in the way of our agenda?
and many more similar whys…
If we are indeed, marginalized – we cannot do ALL THIS.
But as it seems CORRECT, WE ARE NOT.
What are we protecting here?
Is it really the persons who may have attractions with the same-sex (but who do not necessarily adhere to our belief system)?
Or is it a political agenda that we want to impose in Philippine society – to accept a lifestyle which borders relativism and individualism?
A statement that says “I am gay, and I am happy about it, and I don’t care if I have to trample against other people’s rights – I want to have my right to party and be gay!”
Think about it…
TO THE POLITICIANS OUT THERE…
we EX-GAYS are voters ourselves.
we want to be counted.
we want to protect ourselves from political agenda that is against our belief system.
we are here also in your midst.
For people who may be struggling with same-sex attractions and are willing to accept a chaste life, contact:
COURAGE (www.couragerc.net)
BAGONG PAG-ASA (www.bagongpagasa.org)
BOTANTE RIN KAMI !!!
Posted by Catholic Voter | 22 March 2007, 11:21 pmto Catholic Voter:
unfortunately i haven’t the time or energy at the moment to give your utterly preposterous arguments the full and thorough refutation they deserve at the very least.
but i sincerely hope that someone who does have these resources will come along to do that in my stead.
because they really are patently ridiculous–based on neither fact nor sound theory.
i hope in your evident catholic zeal you will see fit to undertake some serious self-examination and realize the egregious error of your speech.
Posted by weaselgirl | 27 March 2007, 1:30 amAll the hullaballoo and no one even took the effort to try and understand the law.
Why must Ladlad’s supporters see the world as against them, instead of taking a colder look at the law. The law measures constituency not by claims of sociological or demgraphic by nature, but by the affirmation of the same via the law itself. In simpler terms (after all, there is no doubt that given the noise above, few understand legalese) COMELEC counts the number of LGBT people saying they are emmbers of Ladlad as its measure to prove the existence of a “national constituency”, and not through any “estimated claims” based on statistical play on demography.
I’d agree with COMELEC’s decision not to accredit Ladlad for that reason. Just because Ladlad claims there are 10million ++ gays and lesbians in the philippines does not make it really so.
More importantly, I feel that the LGBT community has not invested sufficiently in organizing, and political education to warrant its entry into the political stream. If any, an LGBT party should be able to articulate and propagate a political philosophy unique and appropriate to the LGBT conditions operant in this country. It should be able to present a comprehensive agenda for development of its sectors, and must evidence its practicability and operationality by experiences of its work in providing interventions within the LGBT communities.
I say, for Ladlad, not this year. Maybe, in 2010, when the group has matured enough to have a better political program. TO COMELEC, It was harsh, and I dont particularly like the trend of argument of some of the Commissioners (admittedly with a biased and a gender-discriminative homophobic tone), but on the whole, I’d have to agree with the outcomes of their decision, if not the means.
Posted by flip | 27 March 2007, 2:20 amFlip.
Isn’t anti-homophobia already constitutes a political and moral philosophy?
At the very least, your sense of political philosophy is damned so traditional and outmoded as we all know that feminism and the likes isn’t part of your traditional political framework.
And how can you gauge political maturity when the entire utility of Philippine democracy is damned so immature?
Village Tickler
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