THE Commission on Elections has released forms that the public could use to withdraw their signatures from the petition for a people’s initiative for charter change.
The signature drive has been hounded by allegations that people were bribed or duped into joining the petition.
The poll body released the forms after Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa informed Comelec Chair George Garcia that there are individuals who wanted to withdraw their names from the petition.
There was no such process under the Comelec rules for such a withdrawal.
As such, the Comelec approved the crafting of a withdrawal form for signatures submitted to the people’s initiative petition.
It also directed election officers to make these forms available to the public, and to receive the accomplished forms for recording purposes.
The forms are available at the Offices of the Election Officer and may be submitted there as well.
The Comelec said its acceptance of the withdrawal forms shall not be construed as a formal action by the poll body on the petition for a people’s initiative.
The people’s initiative for charter change also became controversial because it seeks to introduce an amendment that would specify that the House of Representatives and the Senate should vote jointly when proposing changes to the constitution.
The Senate said it would be disenfranchised by this, and that this goes against the bicameral nature of the legislature.
