AS more signatories to the controversial people’s initiative (PI) to amend the Constitution start to rethink their decisions, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday announced that withdrawal forms are now available in its city and municipal offices nationwide for those who want to formally remove their signatures.
“For purposes of recording such manifestations, the Commission hereby releases the Withdrawal Form of Signature in Signature Sheets/Petition for People’s Initiative,” said the Comelec in its notice to the public.
“Said Form is available in the Offices of the Election Officer (OEOs) nationwide and accomplished forms can be submitted to the same office,” it added.
In the said form, a signatory is asked to provide his/her personal details, such as name, address, precinct number, barangay, city/municipality, province, and district, and to state the reason for the withdrawal of his/her signature.
The poll body said the withdrawal form is being issued to address the manifestations of several individuals regarding their desire to withdraw their signatures in the signature sheets for the Cha-cha PI.
“There are individuals who have manifested their intention to withdraw their signatures in the signature sheets for people’s initiative previously submitted to the Commission’s field offices,” said the Comelec.
The Comelec clarified that the suspension of all their PI-related processes remains in effect.
“The acceptance of withdrawal forms is for recording purposes only and shall not be construed as formal action by the Commission on the signature sheets for people’s initiative,” it said.
The Comelec has previously asked those who submitted the PI signature sheets to withdraw them from the OEOs since the PI processes have been suspended indefinitely.
In turn, the Comelec said PI proponents need to return the certification issued by the OEOs when the signature sheets were submitted.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he cannot order his colleagues in the Senate, specifically Sen. Imee Marcos, to stop the hearings being conducted by the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation on the alleged payoffs that attended the signature gathering activities for the PI campaign.
Zubiri said he is not the kind of leader who imposes on the members of the upper chamber since the other senators have a disposition of their own.
The Senate leader made the remark when asked by reporters in an interview if it is part of his job to monitor the actions and statements of his colleagues following the truce between him and Speaker Martin Romualdez to stop the word war between senators and congressmen in relation to the PI issue.
“Remember that I am working with 23 independent republics, although we have a super majority now of 22 members. It’s not my attitude and not my character to tell my people what to do. I am only what you call in the Supreme Court, ‘one amongst equals’,” he said.
Besides, he added, it is beyond his “pay grade” to impose on his colleagues what they can or cannot do.
On Wednesday, as Zubiri announced the ceasefire on the bickering that he and Romualdez agreed on during the 100th birthday celebration of Chief Legal Presidential Adviser Juan Ponce Enrile, Marcos announced her plan to conduct a separate investigation into the possible use of government assistance programs, particularly the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) to entice people to sign the PI signature forms.
The AKAP has a P60 billion budget in the 2024 national budget, of which P26.7 billion is lodged with the DSWD.
Senators have questioned the alleged “sudden appearance” of the AKAP appropriation in the final version of the budget measure, which was proposed by members of the House of Representatives during the bicameral discussions on the budget bill.
Marcos also said she will continue with her committee’s investigation on the alleged PI payoffs.
Zubiri said: “With Senator Marcos, it’s beyond my pay grade, right? She’s the sister of the President and the first cousin of the Speaker. I respect her position being the chair of the Committee on Electoral Reforms (and People’s Participation).” — With Raymond Africa