Solon claims people's initiative 'already finished' amid Senate's protest

RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photo from Comelec chairman George Garcia" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2024/life/01/17/20240117-comelec.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Photo from Comelec chairman George Garcia</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA<strong> (2nd UPDATE) </strong>— Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Wednesday claimed that the people&#x27;s initiative drive has already gathered enough signatures to initiate an amendment to the Constitution despite strong opposition by the entire Senate.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/23/24/senate-on-peoples-initiative-a-brazen-attempt-to-violate-the-constitution">Senate on &#x27;people&#x27;s initiative&#x27;: &#x27;A brazen attempt to violate the Constitution&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Yes, definitely as of last night, we&#x27;ve reached the 12.1 [percent] threshold,&quot; Salceda told reporters at the House of Representatives. </p><p>The 1987 Constitution requires a &quot;people&#x27;s initiative&quot; to amend the Charter to have the signatures of at least 12 percent of voters nationwide and 3 percent of voters in each of the 254 legislative districts.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/01/08/24/charter-change-through-peoples-initiative-what-is-it">Charter change through People&#x27;s Initiative: What is it?</a></li></ul><p>The people&#x27;s initiative seeks to amend the Constitution in order for Congress to vote jointly in a constituent assembly for future Charter change efforts.</p><p>The House stands to benefit from this proposal as it would mean that the 24 votes of the Senate will be overwhelmed by the over 300 man House of Representatives.</p><p>The Senate on Tuesday issued a strongly-worded &quot;manifesto&quot; condemning the people&#x27;s initiative, calling it a &quot;sinister and underhanded attempt to change the Constitution by exploiting our democratic process.&quot;</p><p>But Salceda said the people have spoken and the Senate has to respect their decision. </p><p>This, amid allegations that voters were allegedly paid or promised some government aid in exchange for their signatures.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/01/23/24/how-to-withdraw-your-signature-from-the-peoples-initiative-form">How to withdraw your signature from the people&#x27;s initiative form</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Why don&#x27;t we listen to the people?&quot; he said.</p><p>Salceda explained that the next step now is filing the petition and requesting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to validate the signatures.</p><p>&quot;The Constitution is alive, buhay na buhay po ang Constitution. Kung akala nila ganoon kahirap yung paghanap nung 12 percent, may mga distrito tulad ng distrito ko 20 percent. May mga 30 percent,&quot; Salceda said.</p><p>Marcos on Tuesday said he expects the Comelec to verify if voters were paid to support the people’s initiative.</p><p>The Senate is also set to file &quot;cases&quot; questioning the Comelec&#x27;s legal basis in accepting the signature forms for the people&#x27;s initiative.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/24/24/senate-to-question-comelec-acceptance-of-peoples-initiative-forms">Senate to question Comelec&#x27;s &#x27;ministerial duty&#x27; of accepting people&#x27;s initiative forms</a></li></ul><div><strong>&#x27;INDICATION OF DEMOCRACY&#x27;</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said she believes that the Senate manifesto rejecting the People’s Initiative to amend the constitution is a reflection of democracy in the Philippines.</p><p>“That is an expression ng ating Senado, and clearly an indication that there is democracy dito sa ating bansa,” she said in a media interview.</p><p>The People’s Initiative proposes to amend the constitution by allowing the Senate and the House of Representatives to vote jointly on any changes to the 1987 Constitution.</p><p>Senators signed the manifesto unanimously, as they called the initiative a “brazen attempt to violate the Constitution”.</p><p>Duterte said in a statement last week that bribing people to sign a petition for charter change continued in her hometown Davao City and other parts of the country.</p><p>In a statement posted on her Facebook page, she called the “Pera kapalit ng pirma para sa People’s Initiative” as a reflection of practice by some politicians who buy votes during elections.</p><p>“Ito ay pagsasamantala sa kahirapan ng ating mga mamamayan at kawalan ng respeto sa kanilang karapatan na magdesisyon nang malaya, walang takot, o impluwensya gamit ang salapi,” she said in the statement.</p><p>“Sinasalamin din nito ang kawalan ng pakialam ng mga politiko sa tunay na kalagayan ng mga ordinaryong Pilipino,” she added.</p><p>“Ingatan po natin ang ating Saligang Batas,” Duterte stressed.</p><p>Duterte also cautioned the public that selling their signatures for the people’s initiative has serious consequences on their lives, liberty and future.</p><p>“Ang patuloy na pagsulong sa people’s initiative at charter change, sa kabila ng laganap na kahirapan at kawalan ng katiyakan sa ating kapayapaan at kaayusan, ay masakit na palatandaan sa kabiguang matukoy ang tunay na mga problema ng mga Pilipino at solusyonan ang mga ito,” Duterte said.</p><div><strong>ROMUALDEZ ON PEOPLE&#x27;S INITIATIVE: IT&#x27;S THE PEOPLES RIGHT</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2939077" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>House Speaker Martin Romualdez, for his part, maintains that the ongoing People&#x27;s Initiative to amend the 1987 Charter is the right of the people as he maintained readiness to work with the Senate&#x27;s version of revisions to the 1987 Charter.</p><p>&quot;Iyung PI, kumbaga, talaga yan ang right ng taong bayan,&quot; he said. &quot;&#x27;Di ba, kanila po &#x27;yun, kasi naka-enshrine &#x27;yun sa constitution. Pwede tayo mag-constituent assembly, constitutional convention or People&#x27;s initiative so hayaan mo na lang yan.&quot;</p><p>Romualdez no longer wants to engage the criticism hurled by Senators, choosing instead to remain ready to work with the Senate in approving the Upper House&#x27;s version of the amendments to the restrictive economic provisions of the charter. </p><p>For the House chief, the Senate&#x27;s RBH may even be the response to the call of those pursuing the signature gathering to petition the Commission on Elections to hold a plebiscite so voters can approve or reject a proposal to have senators and congressmen vote together in revising the charter.</p><p>&quot;Kung maipasa yung proposed Resolution of Both Houses ng Senado, kami po dito sa House -- Galing ako sa political leaders&#x27; meeting, caucus. We shall support, we shall embrace the same. At ito, baka [ito] &#x27;yung magiging sagot sa pinagdadasal ng ating PIRMA movement sa People&#x27;s Initiative,&quot; said Romualdez.</p><p>&quot;At least, nagkakaisa na ang House at Senate sa pagbabago ng ating saligang batas.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Di ko papatulan yung mga sinasabi na maging divisive tayo,&quot; he also said. &quot;Basta dito, kung magkaka-isa dito para tumulong sa taong-bayan, diyan ako.&quot;</p><div><strong>with a report from Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2938283" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Rep. Salceda said the Filipino people have spoken and the Senate has to respect their decision. 

Solon claims people's initiative 'already finished' amid Senate's protest | ABS-CBN

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Solon claims people's initiative 'already finished' amid Senate's protest

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 24, 2024 02:38 PM PHT

|

Updated Jan 24, 2024 09:40 PM PHT

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House of Representatives

Senate

Constitution

chacha

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charter change

Juan Miguel Zubiri

Migz Zubiri

Martin Romualdez

Joey Salceda

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