Sigaw: SC ruling saved gov’t P1 B

The government practically saved P1 billion through the Supreme Court ruling that declared Republic Act 6735 as an adequate law for the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution, advocacy group Sigaw ng Bayan said yesterday.

Sigaw spokesman Raul Lambino said the SC ruling Tuesday saved the government the trouble of enacting another law to replace RA 6735 to govern the people’s initiative mode.

Even after failing to revive their people’s initiative petition in the high court, Lambino declared they have achieved a moral victory since the primary goal is to reverse the 1997 SC ruling on the same issues.

"Our motion for consideration... (to give) back life to people’s initiative as a mode to amend the Constitution has saved time and money to a tune of P 1 billion," Lambino said.

Lambino pointed out that if the SC did not reverse the 1997 ruling, Congress is duty bound to enact another law to replace RA 6735, which will entail additional time and expenses for the lawmakers.

In the 1997 ruling that involved Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago against the Commission on Elections, the SC junked an earlier effort to amend the Constitution through the people’s initiative.

The high tribunal said the signature gathering effort made by People’s Initiative for Reform, Modernization and Action (PIRMA) was illegal in the absence of an enabling law from Congress governing such initiative.

The high court said RA 6735, or the Initiative and Referendum Act, is inadequate to govern the people’s initiative effort to introduce amendments to the Constitution.