ALBAY Rep. Joey Salceda on Wednesday underscored the imperative for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to validate the collected signatures in the ongoing people’s initiative, particularly in light of the Senate’s rejection of this constitutionally mandated process to amend the 1987 Constitution.
“Point of no return na ‘yan. Let the Comelec validate the signatures. That’s in the Constitution,” Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said.
The people’s initiative, aiming for a constitutional amendment to enable Congress to “vote jointly” in future attempts to change the Constitution, has faced challenges, including allegations of bribery and other illicit activities.
Salceda’s call for Comelec validation is seen as a crucial step to ensure the legitimacy of the initiative.
For a people’s initiative to be deemed substantial, each congressional district must collect the signatures of at least three percent of its registered voters.
Salceda emphasized that the people’s initiative remains the most viable method for amending the Constitution, as other avenues, such as constituent assembly and constitutional convention, have all faced rejection by the Senate in the past.
“Lahat naman dead-on-arrival kapag sa kanila (Senate) napupunta,” Salceda said.
Salceda highlighted that a total of 358 bills were filed in Congress to change the 36-year-old Charter, yet none of them succeeded.
“May nag-file ng 54 bills to change the Constitution as early as 1987 right after it was ratified. So up to now it’s 358. Isang beses lang ang umusad noong 12th Congress at naipasok sa plenary for sponsorship and that’s it,” he narrated.
Salceda reiterated the need to revise the 1987 Constitution, particularly its restrictive economic provisions, which he argued have left the Philippines trailing behind its Southeast Asian neighbors.
“Nakakaganda ba para sa bayan ito 1987? Ang sagot ko po hindi. Bakit? Talo na tayo. In 10 years talo na tayo ni Cambodia. ‘Yan ba gusto natin? Alam naman natin kung bakit. Sarado ang negosyo sa Pilipinas,” he explained.
