630 cities, towns submit Cha-cha signatures

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 630 cities and municipalities have so far submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) the required signature forms for the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

“As of this time, 630 municipalities and cities have submitted. It looks like it is increasing each day,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said yesterday.

Garcia said the local Comelec offices are performing their ministerial duty to accept the signature forms and classify from what district those signatories belong.

If just one of the 253 districts nationwide failed to obtain the required three percent of voters, Garcia said the Comelec would automatically dismiss the petition and the people’s initiative could no longer push through.

The poll chief said local Comelec would be given 60 days to verify the signatures only after the required number were obtained and the Commission en banc found the petition to be sufficient in form and substance.

From the declaration that all requirements have been met, Garcia said Comelec is mandated to set the plebiscite within the next 90 days.

For a constitutional amendment to push through, Garcia said a majority of the votes cast during the plebiscite is needed.

Garcia, however, clarified that no formal petition has been filed before the commission and only signature forms have been submitted.

In Negros Occidental, Charter change proponents have been able to gather 157,645 signatures across 11 local government units, records of the provincial Comelec office showed.

Of the 11 LGUs, highly urbanized Bacolod City gathered the most signatures with 69,098.

Bacolod City election officer lawyer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said all 61 barangays submitted signed petition to the Comelec office in the city.

Provincial Comelec supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Thursday that his office can only issue a certification on the signatures gathered.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson expressed his support to amendments of the 1987 Constitution, which should be limited to economic provisions, in whatever form.

Voters must read first and not just affix their signatures on any petition to amend the Constitution, Garcia advised yesterday as he