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709 Phil. 539
EN BANC
[ G.R. No. 204591, April 16, 2013 ]
AGAPAY NG INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS ALLIANCE (A-IPRA),
PETITIONER, VS. COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS, MELVIN G. LOTA,
MAC-MAC BERNALES, MARY ANNE P. SANTOS, JEAN ANNABELL S.
GAROTA, JOSEPH T. EVANGELISTA, ET AL. RESPONDENTS.
RESOLUTION
REYES, J.:
This is a petition for certiorari[1] filed under Rule 64, in relation to Rule 65 of the
Rules of Court, seeking to annul and set aside the Resolution[2] dated November 7,
2012 of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in SPP Case No. 12-292 (PLM).
Factual Antecedents
Petitioner Agapay ng Indigenous Peoples Rights Alliance (A-IPRA) is a sectoral
political party whose primordial objectives are the recognition, protection and
promotion of the rights of the indigenous people.[3] It was allowed registration and
accreditation by the COMELEC Second Division in its Resolution[4] dated January 13,
2010 in SPP Case No. 09-214 (PL), which reads:
As borne by the evidence, petitioner has ably complied procedurally and
substantially with the requirements of Republic Act No. 7941 or Party-List
Law as well as with the guidelines enumerated in the case of Ang Bagong
Bayani vs. Comelec. It has coordinators in almost all of the provinces and
cities [of] Region III.
Petitioner committed itself to protect and work for the betterment of the
underrepresented [and] marginalized sector of [i]ndigenous peoples by
ensuring that their rights, cultural communities and ancestral domains
are accorded priority and recognition. Petitioner likewise committed itself
to promote the culture of the indigenous people through education and
the delivery of basic services to the indigenous cultural communities. Its
track record is manifested by its active advocacy for the passage of the
IPRA Law (Republic Act No. 8371) by conducting a series of campaigns
and seminars to educate and inform the indigenous people of their rights.
When the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous
[Peoples] Rights Act was challenged before the Courts, petitioner A-IPRA
gave valuable inputs to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples,
resulting in the dismissal of the petition to declare said law
unconstitutional.
Moreover, it has supported, defended and lobbied for the passage of laws
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