Proclamation of winners in the party list system elections did not push through last May 19 as special elections are yet to be held in Lanao del Sur. Nevertheless, based on unofficial and partial vote tallies, it is clear that the ruling classes have usurped the limited space intended for parties representing the marginalized sectors.

The winners include ACT-CIS, 1-Rider, Tingog, 4Ps, Ako-Bikol, Sagip, CIBAC, Tutok to Win, Duterte Youth and Agimat—all allies of parties of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte.

These do not truly represent the marginalized. In fact, these were fielded, or are linked to, bourgeois compradors, bureaucrat capitalists, landlords, and with the police and military to further cement their hold to power. At least six parties who have representatives from political dynasties are set to be given congressional seats.

Meanwhile, from having seven representatives, the progressive Makabayan bloc will only have three in the 19th Congress. They will represent the Kabataan PartyList (KPL), Gabriela Wo-men’s Party and ACT Teachers Partylist. Except for KPL which garnered twice the number of votes compared to 2019, all parties under Makabayan had fewer votes than before. Having failed twice to win a seat in congress, the Anakpawis Partylist will not be run in the next election.

Prior to and on election day, NTF-Elcac operatives spread a fake Comelec resolution stating that parties under the Makabayan bloc, Neri Colmenares and Elmer Labog, and even Tropang Angat and 1Sambayan candidates were disqualified from the elections. The task force’s red-tagging and slander were in full swing even earlier. Nevertheless, Colmenares still managed to win six million votes, higher than his 4.66 million votes in 2019.

Even the Akbayan and Magdalo parties, both close to the Liberal Party and to the Leni Robredo camp, were not spared.

In the meantime, the 12 winning senators have been proclaimed. They are Robin Padilla who got the highest number of votes, followed by Loren Legarda, Raffy Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, Francis Escudero, Mark Villar, Alan Peter Cayetano, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada. Aside from Hontiveros, all winning senators supported the Marcos-Duterte tandem.