LEGAZPI CITY: The unified move and strong support of Bicolanos over Ako Bicol regional political party ouster bore fruit after the Supreme Court granted a status quo ante order allowing the homegrown party-list to join the 2013 polls.

Rep. Rodel Batocabe said that the AKO Bicol party-list may now participate in the 2013 midterm polls after the High Court granted the temporary restraining order, or the status quo ante order junking the Commission on Elections (Co-melec) previous ruling.

“This is the fruit of our unified move that’s why Bicolanos are highly regarded by other party-list groups previously disqualified by the Commission on Elections,” Rep. Rodel Batocabe said.

Following the tribunal issuance of the restraining order, the poll body assigned number 18 for the party-list to be voted by the electorate in the upcoming polls, Batocabe said.

In October 2012, with unanimous vote of 6-0 led by Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., Ako Bicol and 11 other party-list groups were prohibited to join the upcoming May polls for failure to meet the standards set by law.

Under Republic Act 7941, the Party-list System Act, which was enacted in 1995, the sectors that could meet the standards in the party-list groups were labor, peasant, fisher folk, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, elderly, handicapped, women, youth, veterans, overseas workers and professionals sectors.

AKO Bicol’s dumping on October 10, 2012, prompted the Bicolanos to take to the streets condemning the poll body ruling.

Ako Bicol is a regional political party, which topped the elections for party-list representatives in May 10 polls with over 1.5 million votes, giving it three seats in the House of Representatives.

Batocabe said that the groups seeking for their ouster were Bayan Muna, Courage, Pamalakaya and Akbayan.

“These groups seeking AKO Bicol ouster, are jealous of the massive support for Ako Bicol,” he said.