list group Akbayan asked the Supreme Court Thursday to overturn the Commission on Elections' ruling that allowed former Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo to sit as a party-list representative in the 15th Congress. In an urgent motion, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello asked the court to resolve their party's earlier petition questioning the eligibility of Mikey, eldest son of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to represent Ang Galing Pinoy (AGP), an alleged group of tricycle drivers and security guards. Bello said Mikey should be barred from sitting as a party-list representative because he failed to comply with Comelec Resolution 8807, which requires party-list candidates to show evidence that they are part of, or historically linked to the group they are supposed to represent. “We asked the SC to rectify this injustice by [allowing Mikey] Arroyo [to sit even if he did] not complying with the Comelec rules,” Bello told reporters. In its motion, Akbayan asked the high court to “direct the Comelec to declare the disqualification of the nominees of AGP party-list, cancel the registration of the same as a party-list group, and permanently enjoin Juan Miguel Arroyo from sitting as a member of the House of Representatives.” Bello added that his group's petition gives the Supreme Court a chance to prove its independence from the previous Arroyo administration. “Certainly, Akbayan considers this a test case if in fact, this is an impartial judiciary,” Bello said. He likewise slammed the Comelec for “bending its rules” to accommodate Mikey even if he had not submitted the necessary documentary evidence. In a related development, the founding chair of Ang Galing Pinoy defended Mikey from his critics and said the group's first nominee complied with all the requirements set by the poll body. “We submitted all the requirements of Mikey Arroyo,” said Bernard Corella Jr. Mikey had earlier lashed back against groups questioning the Comelec's ruling last Tuesday. “I find their line of reasoning too preposterous. It is hypocrisy at its crescendo,” Mikey said. Last Tuesday, the Comelec said Mikey was eligible to be AGP's first nominee. It said it was enough that Mikey belonged to the party even if he is not from a marginalized sector. Four of the poll commissioners voted in favor of Mikey, two dissented, while Comelec chair Jose Melo abstained.
