CONTROVERSY has hounded the party-list system in Congress ever since the party-list law act was signed into law by then President Fidel V. Ramos in 1995. While everyone agrees that the law is well-intentioned, so much confusion has arisen over interpretations of the law.
Today’s Data A Day looks into the most basic issue of the party-list system: How does one compute the number of party-list seats allotted to these groups? For this, we need to go beyond the Party-List System Act and read the 1987 Constitution itself.
How does one determine the number of party-list seats in a given Congress?
For the answer to today’s Data A Day, check out the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics website here, or go straight to the answer here.