A study by the election watchdog group Kontra-Daya revealed that more than half of the parties participating in this year’s party-list election do not represent the poor, as was the original purpose of the system.

Eighty-six out of 156 registered parties for the party-list election serve as fronts for political dynasties, big businesses and military or police; face corruption cases, have dubious advocacies or did not publish sufficient information for the public.

The most numerous are groups run by big bureaucrat-capitalists. These include the Abalos’ 4Ps, the Tulfos’ ACT-CIS, the Poe family’s FPJ Bantay Bayan and the Romualdez’s Tingong Sinirangan. The Romualdezes, who own Bright Kindle Resources and Benguet Mining, also represent large destructive mining companies.

Big businesses are represented by Ako Bicol and TGP, which are DPWH contractors. Duterte Youth, a known Duterte youth arm, has long been a partner of NTF-Elcac and the military in red-tagging activists.

“Among the more than 1,500 nominees of the parties, Tingog Sinirangan, which is connected to the Romualdez family of the current House Speaker, should be scrutinized,” according to the group. In the list it released, the first nominee of the party is the son of HS Martin Romualdez, Andrew Romualdez. The sixth nominee is his wife Yedda Marie.

Another party is ACT-CIS, which is populated by the Tulfo dynasty, in collusion with the Yap family. This family has entered not only the Senate, but also Congress and the cabinet. Its number one nominee is Edvic Yap, brother of congressman Eric Yap and Quezon City councilor Egay Yap. Meanwhile, its second nominee is Joselyn Tulfo, wife of Raffy Tulfo. The others are also siblings and relatives of the Yaps and Tulfos.

Another is the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist, which is represented by Sen. Grace Poe’s son Brian Poe Llamanzares and husband Teodoro Llamanzares; Mark Lester Patron, son of the mayor of San Jose, Batangas Ben Patron; and Hiyas Dolor, wife of the governor of Oriental Mindoro, Bonz Dolor.

Meanwhile, Duterte Youth, which is not a youth party, is represented by Drixie Cardema, an AFP reserve Lt. Col, and two other representatives who are both police officers. The same goes for Epanaw Sambayanan, which have former NTF-Elcac officials such as Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz, along with fake Lumad leaders Joel Unad and Marlon Bonsantong, as its nominees.

From the ranks of businessmen came the nominees of 1PACMAN, a party pretending to represent the “marginalized,” such as Mikaela Romero and three of her partners in Global Port Zamboanga Terminal and many similar companies. Also nominated here is Manny Pacquaio’s brother Alberto.

The above mentioned are just some of what Kontra Daya presented as fake parties in its press conference held on February 12.