THE proposed Federal Constitution will broaden the existing provision on people’s initiative to enable the citizenry to take part in legislation.
“Dito,…(hin)di lang Kongreso ang maaring gumagawa ng batas at di lang Kongreso gagawa ng revision on the Constitution. Ang taongbayan ay bibigyan ng puder,” lawyer Roan I. Libarios, vice-chairman for the Subcommittee on the Structure of the Federal Government, said in a briefing on Thursday. (Here,…it’s not only Congress that can undertake legislation and revision on the Constitution. The people will be given that power [too].)
“People’s Initiative is basically giving people the power to make a law or change a law passed by a legislative body from the national to the local level, or to repeal any law passed by any of these legislative bodies,” Conrado I. Generoso, Technical and Media officer for the Consulative Committee to Review the 1987 Constitution (ConCom), said for his part.
Under the proposed people’s initiative provision, a proponent can draft a proposal, with the Office of the Solicitor-General or the Integrated Bar of the Philippines providing free consultation when sought.
Signatures are then gathered for the proposed legislation. Revising a Constitution requires 30% of voter turnout from the last national elections and a minimum of 10% votes per federated region while amendments require 12% of voter turnout from the last election and a minimum of 3% per region.
To enact, amend, or repeal a federal law, signatures from 10% of total voter turnout in the last national election are required, and at least 3% of votes per federated region.
The existing provision on people’s initiative in Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution on Amendments or Revision states in part: “Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters therein.”
Mr. Generoso said that, with the people’s initiative, “(we’re) leveling the political playing field so even those who are in the margins of society will have the political power to change the course of their lives.”
“Because what we have right here is a situation where 300 or so political families are controlling the entire political process and power of the country,” he added.
Mr. Libarios said that in other countries, “buhay na buhay ang people’s intitiative (The people’s initiative is very much alive).”
“Sa experience natin sa (In our experience in the) Philippines for the last 30 years since naitatag ang (the ratification of the) 1987 Constitution, wala talagang nangyaring successful na inititative (there has been no successful initiative),” he added.
A people’s initiative campaign during the Ramos administration was stopped on its tracks then by a protest rally led by former presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Joseph E. Estrada which flagged the experience of constitutional amendments during the Marcos dictatorship. — Gillian M. Cortez

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