Romualdez: I was a mere facilitator
BY RAYMOND AFRICA and WENDELL VIGILIA
THE lead convenor of the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (PIRMA) yesterday told a Senate committee hearing that Speaker Martin Romualdez guided the signature drive for a people’s initiative (PI) to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Noel Oñate admitted before the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation that he met with Romualdez and Ako Bicol party list Rep. Elizalde Co at the former’s Forbes Park home on January 8 this year where he allegedly sought the former’s help on the PI campaign.
Oñate said the Speaker gave “administrative” assistance by providing their group the data on the number of registered voters in each congressional district, and “advised” them which congressional districts have high number of registered voters who belong to the social class C and D.
“Because we were told that 75 to 80 percent of voters belong to the C and D classes,” he said.
Asked if he and Romualdez discussed a timeline for the signature drive, he replied in the affirmative but said this was “not strictly followed.”
Proponents of the PI for Charter change are reportedly eyeing the conduct of a referendum for the PI drive either by June or July this year in time for the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos Jr.
The committee hearing was held based on Senate Resolution No. 902 and SRN 903, both filed by committee chairperson Sen. Imee Marcos who cited information that PI proponents allegedly paid sums of money to convince individuals to sign the signature sheets.
Romualdez admitted meeting with PI proponents, including Oñate, but said he was not acting as “an orchestrator.”
“This encounter, held at my townhouse, was in the spirit of open dialogue and understanding of civic actions spearheaded by our citizens. As Speaker of the House, I am committed to upholding the principles of democracy and facilitating discussions on matters of national interest. The meeting with the people’s initiative representatives was an exercise in this commitment. My role, as misinterpreted by some, is not as an orchestrator but as a facilitator for healthy democratic processes,” he said in a statement.
Romualdez said that since he supports the “spirit of civic engagement and participatory governance,” his involvement in the PI campaign “has been purely advisory and in no way extends to mobilizing or leading their signature campaign.”
“The initiative and its operations are entirely led and managed by the group themselves.
Furthermore, I firmly deny any allegations of involvement in unlawful activities such as vote-buying related to this or any other initiative. Such practices are against my principles and the ethical standards of our government,” he also said.
While he respects the autonomy of the PI campaign and commend the proponents’ efforts to engage in constitutional discourse, the Speaker said his “primary role is to steer legislative actions within the Congress and ensure that all processes are conducted with integrity, fairness, and in accordance with our laws.”
“I urge the public and media to approach this topic with an understanding of the distinct roles in our democratic framework and to avoid conflating support for civic discourse with direct involvement in specific initiatives,” the Speaker said.
MEETING
Oñate initially denied meeting with Romualdez, saying he met only with Co, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the chairperson of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin to discuss the PI campaign.
He, however, changed his tone when Marcos confronted him with a photo showing him with Romualdez, Co, and several lawyers captioned “People’s Initiative for Charter Change Staff Meeting” dated January 8, 2024 to prove that he was not telling the truth.
“It slipped my mind,” he told senators, to which Sen. Ronald dela Rosa reminded him that he is under oath and warned him to cooperate with the Senate inquiry.
Oñate said it was him who “invited” the Speaker to a meeting, to which he was directed by the latter’s staff to go to the House leader’s house in Makati City.
‘EDSA PUWERA’
During the hearing, Oñate also admitted that PIRMA was behind the “EDSA Puwera” television ad campaign which was aired on nationwide television earlier this month. The advertisement questioned the gains brought by the EDSA People Power Revolution and stressed the need to already amend the Charter.
Oñate said his group paid P55 million for the television campaign, saying he paid P27.5 million of the amount out of his own pocket, while the balance were donated by friends and supporters.
“I don’t have the list right now. Some donated P1 million, the others P500,00, and others smaller than those amounts,” he said, adding that he handed the P27.5 million in cash to Greg Garcia, the group’s public relations officer.
He said Garcia coursed the payment for the ad campaign to the Gana, Atienza, Avisado Law Offices, which facilitated all the documentary requirements needed by TV stations to air the advertisement.
“I gave it to him (Garcia) in cold cash because that’s how politics works,” he said, to which Marcos interjected: “I’m sorry, that’s how politics operates, through cash?”
Oñate said: “Yes, because I have also been a political consultant all these years and I know how it works.”
Senators directed Oñate to provide the committee the names of donors and the amount of their donations, with Sen. Chiz Escudero saying they should not be hiding, and instead be proud of their campaign to try to amend the 1987 Constitution if they think that it is a noble thing to do for the people.
Marcos also directed the PIRMA leader to submit copies of the official receipts and other financial records pertaining to the ad campaign.
Marcos also issued a subpoena to a certain lawyers identified as Anthony Abad, whose name appears on the PI signature campaign forms. Abad was sent an invitation but was not able to attend the hearing as he is out of the country.
Marcos made the move after Sagip party list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who attended the hearing as a resource person, said Abad should be present in the hearing to explain the PI signature campaign because “the House of Representatives ay sila po ang nagiging kontrabida dito (the House of Representatives seem to be the antagonists here).”
Alex Avisado, legal counsel of PIRMA, said Abad was one of those who started the push for PI, along with Garbin, while Oñate said Abad is one of the PIRMA volunteers who belongs to the group’s “professional sector.”
PROOF
Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros, in a privilege speech delivered in plenary on Monday, said she has proof that payouts took place at the “Bagong Pilipinas” rally in Manila last Sunday for “those who signed the (PI) petition or mobilized ot hers to sign the petition.”
She said the payouts were captured on video, which she showed to her colleagues and which was uploaded in his social media platforms.
Hontiveros the footage proves that the Bagong Pilipinas rally was not about “patriotism.”
“Hindi naman ito tungkol sa patriyotismo o pagmamahal sa bayan. Tinipon ang mga kababayan natin para sa mga pirma nila, kasama ang nakapakaraming souvenir (This is not all about patriotism or love of country. Our countrymen were gathered for their signatures and for the many souvenirs),” she said.
She said the rally organizers used the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) funds as “reward” to those who attended the rally which is the reason why thousands attended the event.
During the hearing, Marcos presented four “brave” witnesses wearing face masks via Zoom and five without masks from Bukidnon who all told the committee how the PI signature campaign was carried out in their respective areas.
They said that they were approached by unknown men on the guise of conducting surveys after which they were asked to sign the petition for PI.
Some said they signed the sheets because they were supposedly promised “ayudas” (cash aid), which they said were never given. Others said they did not sign as they understood that it was all about Cha-cha.
A witness from Quezon City said they did not want to show their faces in public for fear that PI organizers will get back at them.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the rules of the Senate allow witnesses to hide their identities during public hearings when Marcoleta questioned why the faces of the witnesses were covered.
“Our rules allow it, that their identities may be protected. We need not force them at this point in time to reveal themselves otherwise witnesses will be scared during our hearings,” Zubiri said in a mix of Filipino and English.
COMELEC
A day after suspending all its processes related to the PI, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said proponents of the initiative can continue to gather signatures of registered voters.
In a televised public briefing, Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said their directive does not cover the proponents being prohibited from gathering signatures.
“We are not preventing the gathering of signatures by its proponents. However, we won’t be accepting or counting the signatures if they will be submitted to us,” said Laudiangco.
Last Monday, the Comelec announced the suspension of all its PI processes, including the acceptance and certification of signature sheets by the Offices of Election Officers (OEOs), to give way to the review of the current guidelines regarding the conduct of PIs.
As of the latest data, Laudiangco said 1,129 city and municipal OEOs in 210 legislative districts have received signature sheets. — With Gerard Naval
