With the fast approaching deadline for the submission of party-list nominees, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded Tuesday all sectoral organizations, political parties or coalitions that it has accredited to participate in the party-list system of representation that they have to submit the list of five nominees for each of them not later than March 26, 2010 in full conformity with the legal requirements of Republic Act 7941, the Party-List System Act, and the limitations established therein.

The Comelec, led by Chairman Jose A.R. Melo, said that as provided in en banc Resolution No. 8691, a person may be nominated by one party in one list only and only persons who have given their consent in writing and under oath may be named in the list.

Resolution 8691 further provides that the list shall not include any candidate for any elective position in the same election, or has lost in his bid for an elective office in the immediately preceding election.

No change of name or alteration of the order of the nominees shall be allowed after the list has been submitted to the Comelec, except in a valid case of substitution, it was pointed out.

The Comelec warned that any nomination made in violation of any of these limitations shall result in the disqualification of the nominee concerned.

It added that withdrawal of nomination or acceptance of nominations shall be in writing and under oath, and filed with the Law Department of the Comelec in Manila before the close of the polls. A nominee who withdraws his acceptance of the nomination shall not be eligible for nomination by other parties, it was further pointed out.

A party-list nominee, the Comelec said, may be substituted only when he dies, or his nomination is withdrawn by the party, or he becomes incapacitated to continue as such, or he withdraws his acceptance of the nomination.

In any of these cases, the name of the substitute nominee shall be placed last in the list of nominees, Comelec said.

In a related development, Edgar L. Kilates, a member of the Coalition of the Associations of Senior Citizens in the Philippines, urged party-list groups to support his proposal for the inclusion of food supplements and vitamins in the list of goods covered by the 20 percent discount granted to senior citizens.