Salceda: 12% PI signature threshold reached
MANILA, Philippines — The people’s initiative to amend the Constitution might be challenged by the Senate before the Supreme Court (SC), Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said yesterday.
Pimentel said the Senate is planning to file a petition before the SC or the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to stop the signature campaign for a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Asked for details about the planned legal action, he said the Comelec could be questioned for “receiving signatures from an unknown entity and executing its ministerial duty of counting signatures.”
The case could be filed with the Comelec itself “to ask them to stop what they are doing,” Pimentel said, “and/or the SC to prohibit Comelec from continuing to do what they have been doing under their jurisdiction of a ministerial duty.”
The Senate minority leader said senators would hold a planning session this weekend to put “finishing touches” on the petition.
During the plenary session on Tuesday, Pimentel pointed out the issue raised by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva of other possible steps or actions to be taken by the Senate to address the PI.
“Maybe we should appeal to our compatriots, before signing, do not sign the circulating people’s initiative because the agenda is hidden. Hidden in the heavy and beautiful words about the constitutional amendment procedure,” he said.
He supported Villanueva’s idea of launching a movement for those who have signed to encourage them to withdraw their signatures as the main idea was not really explained to them.
“Because the Comelec accepts the given paper with a signature so therefore Comelec is following a certain procedure. They said they have a resolution. But Comelec cannot give power unto itself. Therefore, there must have been a law authorizing the Comelec to receive these signatures and following procedures, pursuant to the resolution promulgated by the Comelec,” he said.
12% threshold reached
Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda said the 12 percent threshold requirement for voters’ signatures have been achieved nationwide, apart from the three percent in the district level.
“It’s already 12.1 percent. It’s a point of no return. Let the Commission on Elections validate the signatures. They should remove the signatures from voters who they find out have been forced or coerced. And even if they do, it has already exceeded the 12 percent threshold,” he disclosed.
“Why don’t they (senators) listen to the people? For what is the people’s initiative mode anyway? Let the Comelec validate the signatures. They can check them one by one. Let them pinpoint whose signatures were bought,” he stressed, following allegations of bribery in exchange for signatures.
At the same time, Salceda said it’s about time that Filipinos, and not only Congress, should have the option to choose what mode they want to undertake in changing the Constitution.
“Ultimately, over and above the House and the Senate, the people are supreme and sovereign. The people’s initiative is a valid mode of amending the Constitution. Neither the Senate nor the House can deny this,” the House ways and means committee chairman insisted.
Broker Senate-House impasse
Being the country’s chief executive officer, President Marcos should “broker” or defuse the “impending impasse” that Charter change has created between the Senate and House of Representatives, an independent opposition lawmaker proposed Wednesday.
“President Marcos must broker a solution to diffuse the impending impasse in order that the executive and legislative departments can truly focus on the overriding crises in the economy,” Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, president of the opposition Liberal Party, suggested.
The controversy, according to him, is “divisive and disruptive” following the 24 senators’ unanimous declaration rejecting people’s initiative as a way of amending the 1987 Constitution, while the House leadership indicated they are committed to it if turns out to be the people’s will.
“We welcome the change of heart on the part of our senators on Charter change. If they are serious, we should target to conclude this effort, which the House has been advocating since the 8th Congress, before we go on our Holy Week break on March 23,” he said.
Speaker: I don’t want divisiveness
For his part, Speaker Martin Romualdez said divisiveness in the bicameral Congress is the last thing he wants, as he called on their Senate counterparts to revive their pronouncements of convening into a constituent assembly for purposes of amending the 1987 Constitution.
“We don’t like divisiveness. There should be no division on this. That division is bad, I don’t want that divisiveness too,” he told said.
The House leader likewise declared he is ready to work with senators’ hand-in-hand as the people’s initiative signature drive has taken on another level, describing it as a “welcome development,” adding this has “always been the message” of his cousin, President Marcos.
“I’m one with the message of the President. It’s the option of the people. It’s their prerogative,” the Speaker said of people’s initiative, noting that amending “economic provisions” in the Charter has always been the “priority of the House.”
The Speaker said he can agree to disagree with the senators on their manifestation rejecting people’s initiative.
Barangays should not interfere – Comelec
Even if they are political by nature and not prohibited from participating in political activities, barangay officials should refrain from gathering signatures for people’s initiative, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said yesterday.
“Personally, I won’t allow barangay officials to interfere to show the public sentiment, to prove the legitimacy of signatures and it’s proper for us to proceed with verification,” Garcia said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.
He noted that barangay officials are considered “non-partisan” because they are prohibited from joining political parties.
But Garcia said barangay officials are allowed to support a candidate and join political activities.
However, Garcia explained that barangay officials, upon election to office, are already beyond the jurisdiction of the Comelec. Whether Comelec’s authority will extend beyond the election is still to be determined, he added.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
is still seeking clarification from Comelec on whether or not barangay officials could participate in the signature campaign for Charter change, Secretary Benhur Abalos said.
Sen. Bong Go underscored yesterday the significance of the Constitution as a document “of the people, by the people, for the people” after all 24 senators have signed a statement opposing the ongoing attempt to amend the Constitution via people’s initiative.
The manifesto, read by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri during the regular plenary session of the Senate on Tuesday, emphasizes the risks associated with the current proposal that the Senate and House vote jointly, rather than separately, as a constituent assembly on constitutional amendments.
“As a member of the Senate… I will defend what is for the good of all. We will guard against any possible changes in our Constitution,” he affirmed, as he highlighted the importance of maintaining “checks and balances” within the government.
“We must protect the Senate as an important institution, let us protect the Constitution and the interest of the Filipino people,” he added.
While acknowledging the importance of every Filipino voter’s right to participate in the people’s initiative, Go expressed his disapproval on the current form being pushed, which he said undermines the Senate’s ability to safeguard public interest. – Delon Porcalla, Mayen Jaymalin, Helen Flores