By MANILA, Philippines — Since its introduction in the 1987 Constitution, the party-list system was envisioned as a corrective to politics dominated by the elite — a mechanism that would allow marginalized and underrepresented sectors to gain a foothold in the House of Representatives.
Maria Ela Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, previously said those behind the Constitution envisioned the system as something that would “serve as a bridge for marginalized and progressive groups to counter the elitist parties of traditional politicians.”
