Comelec probes alleged vote buying for Cha-cha

MANILA, Philippines —  The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will look into reports of  “vote buying” for a people’s initiative pushing for Charter change or Cha-cha.

“We will have the local Comelec look into this once they receive signatures from proponents of the people’s initiative,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said yesterday.

The people’s initiative or the “power of the people” is a constitutional provision empowering the public to propose amendments to the Constitution by lodging a petition signed by at least 12 percent of registered voters.

Garcia stressed that buying signatures for such initiative is technically illegal and thus the petition must not be accepted.

“It means that the signing was not voluntary. But of course, this needs to be proven,” Garcia noted.

Should a people’s initiative for Cha-cha be verified by the Comelec, Garcia said that around P13 billion will be required to conduct a national plebiscite to determine if the Filipino people will favor or reject a proposed constitutional amendment.

Meanwhile, Sen. Imee Marcos is seeking a Senate investigation into the alleged P20-million payoffs and misrepresentations in the signature campaign for a people’s initiative.

Marcos filed Senate Resolution 902 directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the alleged payoffs and misrepresentations in the signature campaign.

In an online article, Marcos said that certain lawmakers claim that coordinators of a certain party-list group received an unspecified amount of money to ensure that their constituents will provide the required three percent of total voters per municipality for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution to gain ground.

She said according to Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, Albay’s League of Mayors was called for a general meeting at Ellis Hotel in Legazpi City, allegedly owned by Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, on Jan. 5 without telling the mayors about the specific agenda.

Lagman further stated that voters who would sign the petition or people’s initiative will be given P100 each.

“These reported payoffs in the signature campaign for a People’s Initiative to amend the