Why it matters if a party-list rep isn’t from the poor and marginalized

An election watchdog this week flagged more than half of the groups running in the party-list elections — a system that a campaign strategist said has become a political tool to consolidate power — of having dubious claims of representing the marginalized.

Worse, 65 of the more than 150 party-list groups seeking seats at the House of Representatives are linked to political families and big business, according to Kontra Daya.