Reject fake people’s initiative – Poe
SEN. Mary Grace Poe on Sunday called on the public to reject the “fake” people’s initiative (PI) being peddled to amend the 1987 Constitution.
The senator said the signature drive for Charter change (Cha-cha) had been hounded by issues such as “bribery” to gain public support to sign the Cha-cha petition.
“What the Filipinos urgently need are food on the table, jobs, health care, education, and quality life,” Poe said in a statement.
“There is only one solution: stop this fake [people’s] initiative,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services said.
“We, in the Senate, are ready to work and focus on the things that matter — and we hope the House [of Representatives] is ready to set aside this PI and do the same,” Poe said.
She said the signature campaign had become problematic, citing reports that some politicians were behind it.
Various surveys also revealed that Cha-cha was not among the priority of the Filipinos, she said.
“It is clear that Cha-cha is not in the consciousness of the people, and yet our colleagues in the House have claimed that the needed 12 percent of the signatures to push for the PI [to amend the Constitution] has already been achieved,” she said.
“It is clear in our surveys: our people have more important things on their minds. The high prices of goods. Jobs. Higher salaries. Food. They are having a hard time. They are hungry,” Poe added.
Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go slammed attempts to erode checks and balances in government through “dubious” people’s initiative.
The senator, in a chance interview on January 26 in Mati City, Davao Oriental, opposed the “hasty” attempt to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Go has raised the need to uphold the “checks and balances” in government by protecting the Constitution, the Senate as an institution, and the interests of Filipinos.
He said that if there would be any attempt to amend the current constitution, it should be clear that the intent is for the betterment of ordinary Filipinos, especially the underprivileged.
“My position ever since is that politicians should not be the ones to benefit [from Cha-cha],” he said in Filipino. “The ordinary Filipino should be the ones to benefit if ever the Constitution should be amended.”
Go criticized the proposal for a joint voting process of Congress in amending the Constitution.
“If we’ll vote jointly, the Senate will be rendered useless. What will happen to the checks and balances in government?” he asked.
“We [senators] would be outnumbered if they [House members] pass [new] provision or amendments in the Constitution,” Go said. “That’s the reason why we have a Senate. We were chosen by the people nationwide. We are the representatives of every Filipino.”