Senator Maria Josefa Imelda “Imee” Marcos has called on the Senate to investigate the alleged “payoffs and misrepresentation” in the signature campaign to push for Charter change (Cha-cha). In a resolution filed on Wednesday, Senator Marcos expressed concern over reports that P20 million was offered to each congressional district that could deliver the required number of signatures to support the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.
Senator Marcos strongly denounced the “blatant manner by which ordinary citizens, particularly those in need of government aid, are being misled and exploited” to gain support for Cha-cha. She emphasized that these reported payoffs in the signature campaign for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution are acts of corruption that undermine the very concept of democracy.
The senator highlighted the statement made by Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman, who revealed that Albay’s League of Mayors were called for a general meeting at Ellis Hotel in Legazpi City, allegedly owned by Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co, on January 5, 2024. Lagman claimed that the mayors were not informed about the specific agenda of the meeting. According to Lagman, voters who would sign the petition for the people’s initiative were promised a payment of P100 each.
Senator Marcos emphasized the need to put a stop to these corrupt activities and ensure that any petition for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution is filed with the full consent and free will of the people. She expressed concern that some lawmakers claimed that coordinators of a certain party-list group received money to ensure that their constituents would provide the required three percent of total voters per municipality for the people’s initiative to gain ground. Additionally, some local government officials were allegedly offered government aid in exchange for mobilizing their constituents to sign the Cha-cha petition.
It is important to note that the 1987 Constitution allows for Charter amendments to be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters, with every legislative district represented by at least 3 percent of the registered voters.
However, a former lawmaker, Alfredo Garbin Jr., disputed Lagman’s claim that funds were released to push Charter change through people’s initiative. Garbin, who previously served as the Ako-Bicol party-list representative, stated that there was nothing illegal that transpired during the meeting. He pointed out that election laws allow campaign expenditures to be incurred by candidates or political parties to generate votes. Garbin clarified that he attended the meeting not as a representative of Ako Bicol but to provide information about the people’s initiative and explain to the mayors the need to amend the Constitution.
Garbin further explained that the idea of a people’s initiative was raised by the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) mayors, led by its president, Polangui Mayor Adrian Salceda. He emphasized that the decision to propose constitutional amendments through a people’s initiative was made by the Albay mayors themselves, who believed it was allowed under the Constitution. Garbin also highlighted that the League of Cities of the Philippines, led by Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, and various non-governmental organizations are actively campaigning in support of the people’s initiative.
In summary, Senator Marcos has called for an investigation into the alleged payoffs and misrepresentation in the signature campaign for Charter change. She believes that these corrupt activities undermine the democratic process and must be stopped. While a former lawmaker denies any illegal activities, the senator remains committed to ensuring that any petition for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution is filed with the full consent and free will of the people.
Source: The Manila Times
