Marcos on signature drive: Up to Comelec

MANILA, Philippines — Signatures for a people’s initiative that were obtained in exchange for money should be invalidated by the Commission of Elections (Comelec), President Marcos said yesterday.

Marcos was asked to comment on the ongoing signature drive to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“If the signatures were obtained in exchange for money, the Comelec won’t accept that. So nothing good will happen,” the President said at the launch of the Lung Transplant Program of the Lung Center of the Philippines and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City.

“We just let Comelec do their job and their work to validate the signature. And if there’s suspicion that there is such thing (signature-buying), those signatures cannot be counted,” he said.

In order for a people’s initiative to be considered substantial, each congressional district must gather the signatures of at least three percent of its registered voters.

The President said he was not aware of the signature-buying. “So, as far as I know, there is no such thing. What is said is they were not paid in cash but they were promised some kind of benefits,” he said.

“We’re looking into the (report), I asked Congress if that’s true,” the Chief Executive added.

Marcos also said he declined proposals that agencies suspend their social services programs so these would not be used in the initiative.

“That’s (suspension of services) not good as there are many Filipinos needing assistance,” he said.

People’s Initiative for Reform, Modernization and Action (PIRMA), the group behind the signature campaign, has denied involvement in alleged payoffs and use of government programs to entice voters to support the move.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said Marcos had expressed disdain for the signature campaign to change the Constitution under the people’s initiative that he deemed “too divisive.”

Marcos’ cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, has denied being behind the people’s initiative to push for Charter change.

Close to a thousand cities and municipalities have submitted signature pages for the ongoing people’s initiative to amend the Constitution, according to the Comelec.

“As of 4:30 today (Tuesday),