With Lakas-Kampi-CMD conceded to become the Dominant Majority Party, intense legal battle loomed Wednesday between Liberal Party (LP), Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and Nacionalista Party (NP) to be accredited as Dominant Minority Party polls as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) led by Chairman Jose A.R. Melo starts evaluating the records of all political parties that field presidential candidates in the May 10 fully automated polls.

The legal battle is expected to become more intense as election day nears because under Section 34 of Republic Act 9369 of the Poll Automation Law that amended Section 26 of RA 7166, the “Dominant Majority Party and the Dominant Minority Party, which the Commission shall determine in accordance with law, shall each be entitled to one official watcher who shall be paid a fixed per diem of four hundred pesos (P400).

RA 9369 also provides that in the election for president, vice president, senators and party-list system, the Dominant Majority Party and Dominant Minority Party shall be entitled to the fifth and sixth copies, respectively, of electronic election returns signed and thumbmarked by all the members of the board of election inspectors and the watchers present.

In the election of local officials and members of the House of Representatives, the Dominant Majority Party and Dominant Minority Party are also entitled to the fifth and sixth copies of the election returns.

The Comelec will determine the Dominant Majority and the Dominant Minority Party, along with the six accredited major political parties, upon notice and hearing on the basis of their established records, coalition or groups that now compose them, taking into account their showing in past election.