Amid widespread criticisms against the participation of presidential son, Rep. Mikey Arroyo in the congressional elections for the marginalized sector, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has barred persons with disabilities from joining the party-list polls.

Disgruntled leaders of the Disabled Pinoy Party (DPP) called the attention of the international community to what they described as a grave injustice that the Comelec has committed against physically handicapped Filipinos.

Through the Alyansa ng may Kapansanang Pinoy (AKAP-Pinoy), the DPP aired its complaint to Foster Tucker, consultant on Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability of which the Philippines is a signatory.

Despite being the only party-list organization seeking to represent the disabled sector, the DPP’s application for accreditation in the party-list election has been rejected by the Comelec.

On the other hand, the poll body accredited at least 30 party-list groups suspected of enjoying the support of the Arroyo government or are graced by celebrities and well-off personalities as nominees.

Among them is Rep. Arroyo who gave up his congressional seat in Pampanga to his mother, who is now seeking a seat in the Lower House. The young Arroyo headed the list of nominees of Ang Galing Pinoy (AGP) party-list.

Joining Arroyo as AGP nominee is Dennis G. Pineda, son of Pampanga gubernatorial candidate Lilia Pineda.

Manuel Agcaoili, wheelchair-bound chairman of AKAP-Pinoy, noted that ANAK party-list which claims to represent a group of active and retired policemen, has nominated a retired police general who had been implicated in the Euro-generals scandal.

“ANAK is headed by a retired police general who was arrested for carrying excessive amounts of foreign currencies in Moscow,” Agcaoili said.

Also included in the list of nominees were Rep. Maria Lourdes Arroyo of Kasangga; evangelist Mike Velarde of Buhay; former Tarlac Rep. Herminio Aquino of Sulong Barangay movement; actors Leo Martinez of Alyansa ng Media at Showbiz; and Onemig Bondoc of Bandila; and dermatologist Manny Calayan, also of AMS.

In the decision penned by Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, the poll body declared that it is convinced the DPP can’t launch a nationwide campaign, saying that it does not have the organizational mechanism to conduct it.

Ironically, it was Larrazabal who underscored the need for participation of disabled persons in national elections, both as voters and contenders in the party-list system, when he spoke at the National Disability Forum sponsored by AKAP-Pinoy last year.

Retired Navy Capt. Oscar Taleon, who became blind while in active military service, assailed the Comelec decision as both “anomalous and unconscionable”.

Taleon disclosed that the physically handicapped have not been represented in Congress in the past 20 years now.

“There are at least nine million Filipino PWD’s who will again be without a representative in Congress simply because the Comelec does not want this to happen,” Taleon said.