Speaker helped civic group in ‘Cha-cha’ signature campaign
THE SPEAKER had helped a so-called people’s initiative to get enough signatures in the push to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the head of the civic group behind the campaign told senators on Tuesday.
“Yes, we coordinated with the Speaker and congressmen in getting the 3% [signature requirement] per congressional district,” Noel Oñate, lead convenor of the People’s Initiative for Reform Modernization and Action ( PIRMA), told a Senate committee investigating the signature drive.
“They (congressmen) are just helping, but we are at the forefront,” he added.
At the hearing, Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, who heads the Senate committee on electoral reforms, presented a photo of PIRMA members with the Speaker and Party-list Rep. Elizaldy S. Co during a meeting on Jan. 8.
Before that, Mr. Oñate denied meeting with Mr. Romualdez.
Ms. Marcos, the President’s sister and the Speaker’s cousin, earlier said as much as P20 million was offered to districts in several provinces that could deliver 20,000 signatures in favor of Charter change (“Cha-cha”).
The Constitution may be amended either through a constitutional convention composed of delegates, by Congress sitting as a constituent assembly or through a people’s initiative.
Under the law, the signatures must account for at least 12% of voters nationwide and 3% of voters in each legislative district. The Supreme Court rejected a similar campaign in 1997 in the absence of an enabling law.
Any proposed amendments or revisions must be ratified by majority of Filipinos in a plebiscite.
Mr. Oñate said the meeting with the Speaker took place at his house in Forbes Park, Taguig City. He added that he denied meeting with the congressmen on the people’s initiative campaign because it had slipped his mind.
PIRMA reached out to the Speaker and other congressmen for “administrative and advisory” assistance in collecting signatures, Mr. Oñate said.
The group was responsible for a TV advertisement pushing Charter change.
Mr. Oñate said about P27.5 million of the P55 million used in the group’s campaign had come from his own pocket, while the other half came from donations from supporters and congressmen.
Ms. Marcos and Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Martin “Koko” D. Pimentel III asked him to reveal his donors for the signature campaign at the next hearing, which he agreed to do.
In a separate statement, Mr. Romualdez confirmed his participation in the meeting, saying it was “in the spirit of open dialogue and understanding of civic actions spearheaded by our citizens.”
“My role, as misinterpreted by some, is not as an orchestrator but as a facilitator for healthy democratic processes,” he said. “The initiative and its operations are entirely led and managed by the group themselves.”
Mr. Romualdez denied involvement in the alleged vote- buying that took place during the collection of signatures for the Charter change push.
Earlier, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman said municipal mayors had been asked to pay every voter who signed the petition P100.
“As the Speaker of the House, my primary role is to steer legislative actions within Congress and ensure that all processes are conducted with integrity, fairness and in accordance with our laws,” Mr. Romualdez said.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe urged the Senate to pass the Resolution of both Houses (RBH) No. 6, which proposes changes to economic provisions of the Constitution.
“We should pass Senate President Zubiri’s RBH No. 6 so that the people’s initiative can’t prosper through a plebiscite because it is clear in the law that you cannot have two in a span of five years,” he told a news briefing in mixed English and Filipino.
The Commission on Elections on Monday suspended proceedings related to the people’s initiative.
Last week, the 24- member Senate issued a statement against the initiative, saying it is “ridiculous” for the Senate to have a “dispensable and diluted role” in the “Cha-cha” push.
Mr. Zubiri on Monday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is set to ask the House of Representatives to stop its push to amend the Constitution through a people’s initiative.
“I urge the public and media to approach this topic with an understanding of the distinct roles in our democratic framework and to avoid conflating support for civic discourse with direct involvement in specific initiatives,” Mr. Romualdez said.