People’s initiative gets 2 M signatures

The people’s initiative as a vehicle for Cha-cha or Charter change gained ground as over two million signatures were gathered as of Saturday night in support of the move, advocacy groups favoring the amendment of the 1987 Constitution said yesterday.

Mayors, governors and other local officials across the country also reported massive turnouts in the recently concluded barangay assemblies, where urgent concerns including constitutional reforms were among the issues discussed.

The "Sigaw ng Bayan" movement, a coalition of over a hundred groups pushing for amendments to the fundamental law, said the two million signatures will dramatically increase as more reports from the field were expected to come in last night.

Mayors, who monitored the barangay assemblies, said 20 to 60 percent of the total number of registered voters in their respective localities were likely to sign a petition calling for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

"The trend towards overwhelming support for Charter change appears to be irreversible," said Sigaw ng Bayan spokesman and lawyer Raul Lambino. "Reports reaching our national secretariat show we are headed towards victory in terms of garnering the support we need to push a People’s Initiative leading to constitutional reforms."

Under the Constitution, a minimum of three percent of the registered voters in each legislative district and 12 percent of the total voting population must sign a petition seeking amendments to the Charter through people’s initiative for such a move to prosper.

"As of Saturday night, more than 150 congressional districts have already reached three percent required by law for a people’s initiative," Lambino said.

"Based on our preliminary reports coming from different provinces, we will easily attain the three percent per legislative district and 12 percent national target," League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) spokesman and Catanduanes Gov. Leandro Verceles said in a separate statement to the press.

"In Catanduanes alone, as of 4 p.m., we have already reached the 15 percent mark and many, many signature forms haven’t come back yet," Verceles said. "In fact, nationally, we will probably reach 20 percent at the close of the very short period of campaigning, easily demonstrating the actual desire of the people to want basic changes in the way."

"All Filipinos have been encouraged to take part in this activity that will change the history of our nation in this century," he added.

No more insults

Meanwhile, Malacañang called on those opposed to Charter change to stop insulting local government executives and their constituents by describing the people’s initiative drive as divisive and a waste of time and money.

But the Palace is washing its hands of the ongoing signature drive for a people’s initiative, saying the people can act on their own and, in so doing, decide on the fate of the Constitution.

Critics said the ongoing barangay assemblies were orchestrated by the Palace and were not a spontaneous move from the grassroots level.

Presidential Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said yesterday President Arroyo "supports people’s initiative" as a mode to amend the Constitution but denied accusations that the Palace funded the distribution of cash and goods to the barangays to get the needed signatures of the people for Cha-cha.

"What is so surprising about it now? The local government officials have been talking about it for more than a year already," Claudio said.

According to him, "Malacañang has had no hand in the current gathering of signatures to amend the Constitution by people’s initiative except to encourage people to participate in public debates on the need for Charter change and to publicly acknowledge that the people’s initiative, along with a constituent assembly or a constitutional convention, is in fact a legitimate, timely and relevant democratic method to amend the Constitution."

Constitutional expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas also stressed the need for a law to change certain provisions of the Constitution, as the provision for a people’s initiative lacks the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) that would make the provision viable as a legitimate avenue for Charter amendment.

During the term of President Fidel Ramos, the Supreme Court ruled that constitutional amendment via a people’s initiative cannot be used as a mode of constitutional reforms for lack of an IRR supporting the people’s initiative provision enshrined in the Charter.

"To say that people’s initiative is desperate is to insult millions of Filipinos who clamor for reforms in our political system so that they can benefit from more economic opportunities rather than be held hostage by the bickering politicians and lust for power of professional government destabilizers," Claudio stressed.

He said a "genuine democratic clamor of the people for constitutional reforms deserves a kinder, more tolerant and Christian-like recognition than the heckling they are getting from a constitutional expert who is a man of God," referring to Bernas. "Heckling does not become Fr. Bernas," he said.

Bunye said the Palace wanted the people to make an informed choice with regards to the proposed amendments to the Constitution, underscoring the importance of the barangay assemblies.

He said the local executives and non-government organizations that pushed for such discussions should be hailed for holding the barangay assemblies to spur discussion of the need to amend the Charter.

He said that, in the end, the people will ultimately decide on Charter change through a plebiscite: "This will directly affect them and so they must be knowledgeable about it."

The President earlier said she was willing to sacrifice whatever was left of her popularity to push much-needed political reforms in the country.

Snowballing support

In Dagupan City, Speaker Jose de Venecia said he is happy about reports of an overwhelming show of popular support for efforts to amend the Constitution, saying the signature drive "is really a barangay show."

With the heavy turnout and positive support for a people’s initiative, he said, "most likely we will have a plebiscite by June," adding that he expects the Philippines to have a parliamentary-unicameral form of government by July."

De Venecia also said 173 members of the House of Representatives have signed the petition in the House calling for Charter change by convening both chambers of Congress into a constituent assembly. For the track taken by Charter change proponents in the House to be effective, 190 signatures from members of the legislature must be gathered.

In North Cotabato, Gov. Manny Piñol said he expects 40 percent of the total of 500,000 registered voters in the province to back the people’s initiative.

In Leyte, Gov. Jericho Petilla said support for people’s initiative could range between 16 percent and 60 percent.

Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar Perez, Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Villafuerte, Zambales Gov. Vicente Magsaysay and Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee said their signature target of 20 percent of voters was attained after the barangay assemblies in their areas.

In Bataan, Gov. Enrique Garcia expressed confidence that 50 percent of his constituents will support the people’s initiative, while La Union Gov. Victor Ortega said 30 percent to 35 percent of voters in La Union expressed support for a people’s initiative.

Mindoro Oriental Gov. Arnan Panaligan is confident that 25 percent of his constituents will back the people’s initiative, while Sarangani Gov. Miguel Domiguez says 35 percent of his constituents are for Charter change. Agusan del Sur Gov. Edward Plaza set a signature target of 30 percent to 40 percent of the province’s registered voters.

In Nueva Ecija, 45 percent of voters’ signatures have been gathered for the people’s initiative, while 10 percent of voters in Misamis Occidental back the move to amend the Charter.

Lambino has denied allegations that money was offered to participants in the barangay assemblies. — With Aurea Calica, Eva Visperas