HOW MUCH IS YOUR CHA-CHA SIGNATURE WORTH?

IN SOME communities kuno outside Western Visayas, residents were made to sign a paper without a clear explanation on the purpose of the so-called “people’s initiative”, in exchange for a promised government financial assistance through the Department of Social Welfare and Development - Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, and were given P100 payment. Tarso!

Te sa Region 6 ya? Tagpila ang pirma?

Paying individuals to sign a petition for a people’s initiative raises ethical and democratic concerns. A cornerstone of democratic processes is informed consent. When individuals are paid or promised extravagant rewards without proper explanation of what they are endorsing, it undermines the principle of informed consent. Tonto!

This practice can lead to people supporting amendments they do not fully understand or might not agree with if they were more informed.

The use of money to influence political decisions is a serious issue. Paying for signatures effectively turns a democratic process into a transactional one, where decisions can be swayed by financial incentives rather than genuine support or understanding of the issue at hand.

Worse, this strategy exploits the economic vulnerabilities of people, particularly those in dire need of money. In such cases, the decision to sign is more about immediate financial need than about the political or social merits of the initiative. Haslo!

Ayon sa aming bubuwit, only two congressional districts in Western Visayas did not submit pro-Charter Change signatures – the lone district of Guimaras and Capiz’s 1st District.

With the region having 19 congressional districts – two in Aklan, one in Antique, two in Capiz, one in Guimaras, five in Iloilo province, six in Negros Occidental, one in Iloilo City and one in Bacolod City – that means 17 pisan mangolekta pirma. Haslo!

How were the signatures gathered? And who did the gathering?

This is a big mystery. Even Commission on Elections’ offices in various cities, towns and provinces are as silent as the whitened sepulcher in the stillness of the night. Daw nahadlok sila maghambal kun sin-o nag- submit list of signatures. Their lips are zipped, glued and clipped. Pwerte!

Nga-a ayhan?

Your guess is as good as ours.