Comelec reveals receiving several forms containing signatures of people's initiatives for Charter change
Comelec reveals receiving several forms containing signatures of people's initiatives for Charter change
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 The path to charter change via the People's Initiative route is tortuous and fraught with impediments or obstructions along the way.
00:07 Even the poll body has been blunt in its response on how each and every requirement needs to be completely satisfied.
00:15 Even worse, it pushed back on the claim of a 12 billion peso budget for such purpose as our Luisa Irispe reports.
00:25 Despite the initiatives of Congress for constitutional assembly for charter change, the Commission on Elections announced having received several forms
00:33 containing signatures of People's Initiative for CHACHA.
00:36 According to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, as of this moment,
00:40 approximately 400 local Comelec offices have received the forms.
00:46 No formal petition has been received from Comelec regarding the People's Initiative,
00:50 even though every local Comelec we have received signature forms the past few days.
00:59 According to our guidelines, all signature forms, more or less, are 300 in the Philippines, 300 municipalities and cities.
01:11 Despite these numbers, Comelec said, this doesn't mean that the People's Initiative is off to a good start.
01:17 Those who submitted their filled out forms will first receive certifications.
01:21 Then, the Comelec will have to check and authenticate the signatures.
01:25 Once collated, a petition has to be filed.
01:28 After that, it will also undergo vetting process to check whether the signatures were compiled
01:34 in good faith and honesty and not by bribery or extortion.
01:38 Once our local Comelec verifies that the determination of Comelec is sufficient and informal and substantial,
01:46 we will order our local Comelec to check if the signatures were signed by voters and if there were any payments.
01:56 If CA signed, there should be a verification that the CA's signature was bought.
02:04 If he paid, he should sign it so that the film can be verified.
02:08 The Comelec assures, it will not rush the process.
02:11 They also clarified, in the event such petition is filed, chances of a plebiscite in sync with the national and local elections are absolutely zero.
02:19 In my initial assessment, the Supreme Court has a decision.
02:22 The Supreme Court said that a plebiscite cannot be filed simultaneously with the change of the Constitution in one election
02:30 so that the voters can focus on what they want to change in the Constitution.
02:37 There is no discussion on plebiscite.
02:52 If we can use some of the items in the plebiscite, we can use them.
03:00 We cannot stop the Comelec from using them because they are already there.
03:06 But we are already starting to obligate or assign those budgets to the various items that are needed in preparing for the national and local elections.
03:20 Louisa Erispe for The Nation.