‘Sigaw’ claims harassment vs Cha-cha

A pro-Charter change group has denounced the opposition for what it called "underhanded tactics" to stop the "ever-growing" public clamor for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

Raul Lambino, Sigaw ng Bayan spokesman, said the opposition has resorted to intimidation and harassment to try to prevent the popular will on urgent constitutional reforms as shown by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay’s "resurrection" of a decades-old libel case against People’s Advocate for Charter Change convenor Bobby Brillante.

Lambino accused Binay of "peddling outright lies" about the advocacy forum on Charter change held last July 15 at the Jade Garden Restaurant in Quezon City.

"The forum was attended mostly by barangay leaders from Makati who are heavily supportive of Charter change," he said.

Lambino said Binay made it appear that "something sinister" had occurred during the meeting attended by barangay leaders of Makati.

"Contrary to Binay’s outrageous claims that a supposed P10-million signature-buying spree in Makati was discussed during the forum, the meeting focused entirely on issues involving the people’s initiative and the proposed shift to a parliamentary system of government, the same topics discussed in the various information campaigns being held jointly by Sigaw and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) across the country,"he said.

Lambino said Makati barangay leaders are fed up with Binay’s oppressive methods to frustrate the desire of Makati voters for sweeping reforms via constitutional amendments.

"I spoke to them about why they should get involved in the ongoing efforts to push constitutional reforms via the people’s initiative, like what I have been doing for the past four months across the country," he said.

Lambino also challenged the anti-Charter change group One Voice to undertake a massive information campaign in each of the country’s 79 provinces instead of buying millions of pesos worth of airtime against constitutional reforms.

"These people are lucky that they have money to burn just so they could thwart the desire of millions of ordinary Filipinos seeking far-reaching reforms that would give them a fighting chance at providing better lives for their families," he said.