27 February 2007

Hon. Benjamin Abalos
Chairperson
Commission on Election
Manila

Dear Chairperson Abalos,

The Gabriela Women’s Party would like to manifest our deep concern over recent developments regarding the move to disqualify the Gabriela Women’s Party this coming May 2007 election.   We would like to raise the following concerns:

   1. The  Commission on Elections (COMELEC) labeled the disqualification cases against us as special civil actions instead of special proceeding under Rule 32 of the COMELEC Rules of Procedure;

   2. Having classified the Felipe and Bayudang petitions as special civil actions, the COMELEC shall hear them summarily without the benefit of a full-blown hearing and without any opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses as matter of right, to the prejudice of our constitutional rights to due process;

   3. The COMELEC gave the Gabriela Women’s Party only three days to file an answer, instead of five days as provided by the COMELEC Rules.

   4. The COMELEC said that the period to file our answer was non-extendible;

   5. The COMELEC  served the copies of the complaint and summons to us on a Friday, February 23, 2007, compelling us to work overtime on a weekend in order to produce an answer; and

   6. The COMELEC required “personal service” of  Gabriela Women’s Party’s answer to the complainants’ residences in vigilante-infested Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, endangering the staff who maybe assigned to serve Gabriela Women’s Party’s answer.

    We find these moves as indicators of irregularities and legal shortcuts to fast track the decision to disqualify our party list in the coming elections.   By giving due course to the petition to disqualify the Gabriela Women’s Party, the COMELEC maybe putting the entire party list system at risk and may set a precedent that any party list which is critical of the administration can easily be disqualified by filing trumped-up charges.  Moreover, favoring the petition will deprive the public of their sovereign right to judge the partylists in the May 2007 elections.  

     The charges filed against Gabriela Women’s Party by Medelyn Felipe and Isabelita Bayudang are malicious and clearly concocted to stop us from running in the partylist elections.  

     We hope that you will look into the points that we raised and make appropriate actions to stop any disregard of due process and violation of our constitutional rights. We also hope that the COMELEC will assert its independence and remain non-partisan amid the concerted efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Malacanang to disqualify us.

     The Gabriela Women’s Party vows to win in the May 2007 elections and we will exert all our efforts to succeed.

Sincerely yours,

LIZA LARGOZA-MAZA