COMELEC rejects Ang Ladlad's bid for accreditation

From the Inquirer:

Comelec denies accreditation to Ang Ladlad
By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has rejected the application for accreditation as a party-list of the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender group Ang Ladlad (The Coming Out), its co-founder and senatorial candidate Danton Remoto said Wednesday.

The resolution, issued by the Comelec’s second division composed of commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Florentino Tuason Jr. and Nicodemo Ferrer, said: “Contrary to petitioner’s [Ang Ladlad] allegation in its petition that its membership is national in scope, reports from our field offices reveal that it doesn’t exist in most regions in the country,”

Remoto, who was at the Comelec early Wednesday afternoon to meet Sarmiento, said he is filing a petition for reconsideration within five days.

He dismissed the Comelec’s contention that Ang Ladlad does not have a nationwide presence.

“Did they go the houses of our members to check? ‘Yan ang tanong ko [That is my question]. We paid P3,050 as filing and research fees. Sa’n ‘to napunta [Where did this go]?” he said.

Kalokohan ito. Anybody can see that this is BS. Arroyo's COMELEC should be strongly criticized for rejecting the application of Ang Ladlad for no damn good reason (other than to not anger the admin's CBCP base, I guess). Nung Sept. 2006 pa nag-apply ang "Ang Ladlad" as a party list group.

More: And Danton Remoto fails to file his candidacy for Senator.

UPDATE: "No place for drunks, homosexuals"

SAYING drunkards have no place in Congress, Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Sr. yesterday said the poll body has refused to accredit Toma as a party-list organization.

Abalos said the group failed to show proof that it has members nationwide.

The Comelec earlier denied party-list accreditation to Ang Ladlad, a group of gays and lesbians.

Abalos told the Kapihan sa Sulo breakfast forum that both Toma and Ang Ladlad failed to present evidence that they have members nationwide.

“Open pa rin naman tayo dyan as long as they can show proofs na ganun kalaki ang bilang nila,” he told reporters.

“Kung nais nila na seryosohin ng Comelec ang aplikasyon nila ay dapat na gawin lamang ng mga ito na lumutang at aminin sa publiko na ang mga ito ay bakla, tomboy at lasenggo,” Abalos said.