Sen. Imee Marcos believes that the scheduled Senate inquiry next week, in aid of legislation into the efficacy of the People's Initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution will determine if the ongoing process is accurate.

"To my mind, di ko alam anong mangyayari in terms of politics, madiffuse yung tension, ang akin talaga liwanagin natin kung tama yung proseso. Tapos, kung tama, sundan natin. (I don't know what will happen in terms of politics or if it will diffuse the tension, for me it's to clear up if the process is right. Then if it's right, let's follow it)," she said in an interview Friday, Jan. 26.

The senator said that she thinks that the process is wrong with the allegations of bribery involving different districts, as well as the issue that citizens are being asked to sign in exchange for financial aid coming from different government agencies.

Marcos said that she hopes to hear from constitutionalists and experts such as Justice Antonio Carpio, Justice Adolfo Azcuna, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, representatives from the People’s Initiative for Reform Modernization and Action (Pirma), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and witnesses to the alleged bribery involving the signatures.

In a separate Telerady interview on Friday, Marcos also denounced the reported misuse of public funds in a calculated attempt to manipulate public opinion and secure signatures for constitutional amendments.

While expressing the Senate’s openness to revising the economic provisions in the 37-year-old Charter, Marcos stressed the importance of ensuring that the process adheres to proper channels, urging transparency and cautioning against misleading the public.

“Ang mga senador hindi naman tutol sa pagbabago ng economic provision. Sabi nga namin, tama naman ‘yan, overdue na nga ‘yan. Hindi rin kami tutol sa people’s initiative sa tamang pamamaraan. Pero ‘wag nililinlang ‘yong mga tao na may kinalaman sa ayuda, higit sa lahat ‘wag namang pera para sa pirma. Hindi tama ‘yon (The senators are not against amending economic provisions. Like we said, it's right, and it's overdue. We're also not against PI in the right process. But people should not be deceived that it has something to do with financial aid, most of all it shouldn't be payment for signature. That's not right),” Marcos stressed.

She filed Senate Resolution No. 903 on Thursday, Jan. 11. Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People's Participation stated that while there is no issue on the adequacy of the provisions of RA No. 6735 pertaining to initiatives or referenda on national statutes, their efficacy in implementing such initiatives or referenda is "questionable" as shown by the failure of various attempts to use the same to effect changes in national statutes.

At the same time, Marcos expressed reservations about the ongoing PI, citing the lack of a clear legal framework and detailed methodology. She noted the challenges of navigating uncharted territory and stressed the importance of a more comprehensive understanding of the constitutional framework.

In her resolution, she mentioned that there is no available record of the number of times, if any when RA No. 6735 has been successfully utilized to effect a PI or Referendum on local ordinances.

The Senate inquiry on the efficacy of PI is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 30.

Senators have already rejected the ongoing signature campaign asking voters if they favor amending the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for Congress to jointly vote on the proposed constitutional assembly in a constituent assembly or Con-ass.

Discussing the constitutional structure, Marcos emphasized the bicameral nature, stating, “Sa ating Saligang Batas, ang maliwanag ay bicameral kaya kailangan pakinggan din ang mga senador (Under the law, what's clear is that we're a bicameral system that's why senators must be listened to).”

Information has reached senators that the House of Representatives is pulling the strings on the PI signature campaign. The House is led by Marcos' cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by MANILA BULLETIN

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