‘People’s initiative now has 8.9 M signatures’

Over 8.9 million people have signed up to signify their support for the people’s initiative mode to amend the 1987 Constitution during the information drive initiated by the Union of Local Government of the Philippines (ULAP).

The figure is nearly double the minimum constitutional requirement of 5.16 million, or 12 percent of the total registered voters, needed to set forth the people’s initiative process.

The pro-Charter change (Cha-cha) coalition of ULAP and the Sigaw ng Bayan recently launched the Tamang Oras at Panahon (TOP) information blitz at the barangay level to get feedback from the public on their favored power-sharing arrangement between President Arroyo and the would-be prime minister in an interim parliament.

ULAP is the 1.7 million-strong umbrella group of elected officials while Sigaw ng Bayan is the coalition of over 300 people’s and sectoral groups whose volunteers had helped gather 8.9 million signatures since March.

ULAP president and Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado said local executives have decided to escalate their nationwide information campaign partly in concession to reservations raised by the original pro-Cha-cha groups like the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

People’s organizations and local officials are pushing for the people’s initiative, and want a change in the form of government from a presidential to a parliamentary system, with the structure of the legislature being changed from two chambers to one, effectively abolishing the Senate.

They are also proposing an orderly transition to the parliamentary system, with President Arroyo being allowed to finish her term until June 30, 2010 as head of state and head of government.

Noli de Castro would also be able to finish his term but not as vice president. He would automatically become a member of parliament and of the Cabinet. There is no vice president under the parliamentary system.

The filing of the Cha-cha petition would give various groups opposed to the administration-backed move a cause of action to seek a Supreme Court ruling that would stop the Cha-cha train.

The anti-Cha-cha groups would have done that a month ago had they not failed to get a copy of a formal Comelec order authorizing the verification of signatures gathered by Sigaw ng Bayan and ULAP.

"Anti-government groups had mounted scare and arm-twisting tactics to derail the people’s initiative process, but these foul moves did not stop people, including those in known opposition bailiwicks like Makati City and San Juan, from signing up," the ULAP-Sigaw ng Bayan tandem said in a statement.

The coalition has been holding forums to promote the advantages of a unicameral parliamentary system over what they call the "defective" current bicameral presidential setup. — Cecille Suerte Felipe