The bishops of Bohol have issued a pastoral letter urging the Boholano faithful to be vigilant and discerning about the ongoing signature drive for charter change, which they said is marred by manipulation, deception and bribery.
In their letter dated January 24, 2024, Bishop Alberto Uy of Tagbilaran and Bishop Patrick Daniel Parcon of Talibon said they are alarmed by the reports that some groups are offering 20 million pesos to each congressional district to gather signatures for the so-called “People’s Initiative” to amend the 1987 Constitution.
They said they have seen some papers that are being distributed to households for signing, without any explanation or consultation on what the proposed amendments are.
“We are aware that the PETITION shall be filed with the Commission on Elections for the PROPOSAL TO AMEND ARTICLE XVII, SECTION 1 (1) OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION THROUGH PEOPLE’S INITIATIVE. What is surprising is that there is no consultation or explanation to the people on what the content of what they are signing is. Moreover, the paper to be signed is written in English and not easily understood by the ordinary citizen. This only shows that the person who signs does not know what he is signing. Even the congressmen do not admit that the said fund comes from the national treasury. Now, the question is: where does the said huge amount come from?” the bishops wrote in Cebuano.
The bishops expressed their suspicion that there are foreign countries, businessmen or politicians behind the charter change initiative, not for the welfare of the Filipinos, especially the poor, but for their selfish interests, such as extending the term of office of those who do not want to relinquish power, or controlling the financial flow of the country.
They said that consulting the people through a genuine People’s Initiative is not bad, but there is no clear explanation on what will be changed in the law, and why it has to be paid for.
They said that some senators and congressmen are also doubtful, and instead of calling it “People’s Initiative,” they mockingly call it “Piso Initiative.”
Uy and Parcon said that changing any law is not wrong, but they pointed out that the problem of the country is not the law, but the wrong or non-implementation of the law.
They stressed that unless corruption in the government is solved, unless adequate attention is given to the true service for the poor, unless justice is given to the oppressed and violated in the courts, unless solutions are found to the crimes that cause fear to the people, unless other countries that want to claim our territory are resisted, unless attention is given to the care of our environment, and above all, unless there is a change of heart in the people, no charter change can solve our mounting problems, especially the rise in the prices of goods after the Covid crisis and due to the ongoing war in other countries of the world.
The bishops appealed to all Filipino believers:
“DO NOT WASTE YOUR SIGNATURE BY JUST MONEY. We will be accountable to the future generations if we are deceived. And let us not forget the words of God: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid for the LORD your God is with you.'” (Joshua 1:9)
PUSH TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has received signature sheets from more than 100 legislative districts in support of the People’s Initiative (PI) for Charter Change, according to its spokesperson Rex Laudiangco.
Laudiangco said that as of January 26, 2024, the COMELEC has verified 102 out of the 245 legislative districts that have submitted their signatures for the PI, which aims to amend Article XVII, Section 1 (1) of the 1987 Constitution.
The proposed amendment would allow Congress to convene as a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) and propose revisions to the Constitution by a vote of three-fourths of all its members, voting jointly.
Laudiangco said that the COMELEC is still processing the other signature sheets and will release the final tally once the verification is completed.
He added that the COMELEC is following the guidelines set by Republic Act 6735 or the Initiative and Referendum Act, which provides the legal framework for the PI.
Under RA 6735, a PI can only propose amendments to the Constitution through a petition signed by at least 12% of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least 3% of the registered voters therein.
Laudiangco said that based on the 2019 national and local elections, there are about 61.8 million registered voters in the country, which means that the PI needs at least 7.4 million signatures to be valid.
He also said that the COMELEC will conduct a random sampling of the signatures to check their authenticity and will publish the petition in a newspaper of general circulation for public information.
He clarified that the COMELEC’s role is only to facilitate the PI process and not to endorse or oppose the proposed amendment.
“The COMELEC is not taking sides on this issue. We are just performing our duty as mandated by law. It is up to the people to decide whether they want to change the Constitution or not,” he said.
The PI for Charter Change has been met with opposition from various sectors, including the Senate, the Catholic Church, civil society groups, and legal experts.
ROMUALDEZ BEHIND?
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has accused House Speaker Martin Romualdez of being the mastermind behind the signature drive for Charter change (Cha-cha) via people’s initiative.
In an interview with ANC on Tuesday, Pimentel said that reports have reached him that members of the House of Representatives are involved in the signature campaign, which he said would not happen without the approval of their leader.
“From the reports that we have been getting, members of the House of Representatives. And in the House, would anyone act there without the signal from their leader?” Pimentel said.
“So, therefore, if the reports actually point to members of House of Representatives and our conclusions will point to the leader of the House of the Representatives, no less than the speaker,” he added.
Pimentel slammed the people’s initiative as an “abuse” and “mistaken” use of public participation, saying that the House of Representatives “hijacked” this mode to amend the 1987 Constitution.
He said that the House could have proposed amendments to the Constitution through the constituent assembly, which requires the participation of both chambers of Congress.
He also expressed his suspicion that the hidden agenda of the people’s initiative is to empower the House to decide on the amendments to the Charter without the Senate’s consent.
He said that if the people’s initiative succeeds, the amendments to the Constitution could come from the mind and will of a single person, who could secure a three-fourths vote of all the members of Congress, voting jointly.
“This is the danger, the real agenda is hidden. Even we will wait. What is in the mind of the House of Representatives when we know that the House of Representatives follows the signal of either a small group of leadership or possibly the signal of one person. It’s their leader,” Pimentel said.
“So if this people’s initiative passes, all the amendments to the Constitution could possibly come from the mind and brain of one person and then he will get the three-fourths vote,” he added.
WARNING TO BARANGAY OFFICIALS
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair George Garcia said on Wednesday that he would prefer barangay officials to stay away from the signature campaign for Charter change (Cha-cha) through people’s initiative, as he expressed concern over possible coercion and manipulation of the voters.
Garcia said that barangay officials should not be involved in verifying or soliciting signatures for the people’s initiative, which seeks to amend Article XVII, Section 1 (1) of the 1987 Constitution to allow Congress to propose revisions to the Charter by a vote of three-fourths of all its members, voting jointly.
“If you ask me, barangay officials should be prohibited, they should not interfere because we want to see that it is really the sentiment of the people,” Garcia said in Filipino during a forum at Kapihan sa Manila Bay.
He added that barangay officials might pressure or influence the signatories to support the initiative, especially if they are also recipients of government assistance or programs.
He also said that barangay halls should not be used as venues for the signature campaign, as this would give the impression that the initiative is endorsed by the government.
Garcia clarified that his statement was his personal opinion and not the official position of the Comelec, which has no jurisdiction over barangay officials regarding their participation in partisan activities.
He said that it is up to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to issue guidelines or sanctions for barangay officials who will join the signature campaign.
The DILG earlier warned barangay officials against seeking signatures for the people’s initiative, saying that it would violate the Local Government Code and the Omnibus Election Code.
Garcia said that the Comelec’s role is only to facilitate the people’s initiative process, which includes verifying and validating the signatures, conducting a random sampling to check their authenticity, and publishing the petition in a newspaper of general circulation for public information.
He has confirmed that the Comelec has received signature sheets from more than 100 legislative districts in support of the people’s initiative as of January 26, 2024.
He said that the people’s initiative requires the petition of at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three percent of the registered voters therein.