Press Release - Dela Rosa: Privilege Speech - People's Initiative - Politician's Initiative

Thank you, Mr. President, Majority Leader.

I rise today on a matter of personal and collective privilege.

Ginoong Pangulo, simula po noong nakamit natin ang ating kalayaan, walong bersyon ng konstitusyon ang umiral sa ating bansa: The 1989 Malolos Constitution, The Philippine Organic Act of 1902, The Jones Law of 1916, The 1935 Constitution, The 1943 Constitution, The 1973 Constitution, The 1986 Freedom Constitution, and our present Constitution, The 1987 Constitution.

Sa walong Philippine Constitution na aking nabanggit, tanging sa 1987 Constitution lamang po natin matatagpuan ang People's Initiative bilang pamamaraan para amyendahan ang Konstitusyon. Isa po ang People's Initiative sa mga probisyon na nagbibigay ng kapangyarihan sa mamamayan na magpasimuno ng reporma sa pamahalaan. In the words of Justice Panganiban in his separate opinion in the case of Miriam Defensor Santiago vs. COMELEC, and I quote "Initiative, like referendum and recall, is a new and treasured feature of the Filipino constitutional system. All three are institutionalized legacies of the world-admired EDSA people power. Like elections and plebiscites, they are hallowed expressions of popular sovereignty. They are sacred democratic rights of our people to be used as their final weapons against political excesses, opportunism, inaction, oppression and misgovernance, as well as their [reserved] instruments to exact transparency, accountability and faithfulness from their chosen leaders," end of quote.

I repeat, Mr. President, "it is a sacred democratic right of our people to be used as their final weapons against political excesses, opportunism, inaction, oppression and misgovernance" — ito po ang isa sa purposes ng people's initiative as envisioned by the framers of the 1987 Constitution.

Pinahahalagahan po ng Saligang Batas ang gampanin ng mamamayan na siguruhin na patuloy na lalamanin ng mga pahina nito ang kanilang mga interes at kapakanan. After all, all government authority emanates from the people. However, if the people are being misled, deceived and coerced to sign a piece of document proposing to amend the Constitution for a certain amount of money, then the initiative is