Comelec: P12 billion restored to budget ‘definitely’ not for Cha-cha

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday denied that the P12 billion additional funding allocated to the commission in the 2024 national budget is intended for a plebiscite on charter change (Cha-cha). 

“Definitely,” Garcia told reporters when asked if the inserted budget is not related to Cha-cha.

“In the first place, nung binigay po 'yan wala naman 'yung mga alingasngas tungkol sa people’s initiative [PI],” he said. 

(In the first place, there was no news of PI when it was given to us.)

“Nung binigay po 'yan dahil doon sa hinihingi namin na karagdagdan talaga na again P17.4 billion 'yung nawala sa amin na hinihingi ibalik sana,” Garcia added. 

(We just asked for P17.4 billion slashed from our budget to be restored.)

On Tuesday, the Comelec chief confirmed that the poll body asked for the P17.2 billion slashed from its budget for the conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites to be restored, adding that it received P12 billion.

Garcia stressed that the poll body only requested for lawmakers to reinstate the slashed funding, not for an increase.

“Ako po ay natanong ng common friend namin kung nanghingi ako ng P12B, ang sabi ko hindi. Hindi naman talaga ako naghingi ng P12B, ang hiningi ko 17.4B…Kung yung P12B ay kasama sa P17.4B, I don't really know,” he added.

(A common friend asked us if I requested a P12B budget. I said no. I never asked for P12B, I requested to have our P17.4B budget reinstated. If the P12B was part of the P17.4B, I don’t know.)

Word war

Garcia made the confirmation amid the "word war" between Albay Representative Edcel Lagman and House Committee on Appropriations chair Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list.

Lagman earlier claimed that P12 billion was inserted during the bicameral conference committee level deliberations on the 2024 national budget, saying that the Charter change initiative being pushed by some majority lawmakers is worth at least P14 billion under the national budget for 2024.

Co, however, said that the P12 billion increase for Comelec’s conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites is not for Charter change and that it was an increase requested by Comelec, not the lawmakers.

“The P12 billion added to Comelec’s P2 billion budget was made upon the request of the poll body, whose proposed P19.4-billion budget in the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) was slashed by P17.4 billion by the Department of Budget and Management before submission to Congress. Comelec Chairman George Garcia personally appealed during the budget hearing in Congress to [call on us to] restore their budget,” Co said in a statement.

In a statement, Lagman said the "insertion," as he called the P12 billion, "was not in response to the Comelec’s request to restore its budget which was reduced in the submission of the National Expenditure Program (NEP). What was given to Comelec was not requested by it in the form of additional appropriation for the charter change agenda."

Garcia said that if a Cha-cha plebiscite pushes through, Comelec will prepare for it, but that it is “presumptuous” to say if the additional funding will be used for it. 

He also said the national plebiscite will require a P13-billion budget, citing the need to accommodate 1.69 million overseas voters and overseas Filipinos. 

“Kung saka-sakali, baka kasi pinag-iisipan ng iba na sa plebiscite yan, eh ng ganun po eh bakit kulang pa po ang binigay samin?” he added. 

Asked if he is willing to talk with Lagman, he answered: “We’re willing to talk to anybody and everybody. Ito lang po ang gusto kong sabihin sa Sambayanang Pilipino: the Comelec will always perform its Constitutional duty.”

(We’re willing to talk to anybody and everybody. This is what we want to say to the public: the Comelec will always perform its Constitutional duty”.)

“At sana po maintindihan ng lahat, kung sakali-sakili man wala naman kaming discretion. Tatanggapin namin lahat ng if-file sa amin dito. Ip-process namin lahat ng if-file dito. Ibig sabihin, napakalimitado ng aming discretion,” he added. 

(We just hope that everyone understands that we have no discretion over this. We will accept and process whatever is filed because we have limited discretion.)

In March 2023, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 6, which calls for a constitutional convention (con-con) to amend the 1987 Constitution.

RBH No. 6 states that a con-con with elected delegates would draft the new constitution - "the most transparent, exhaustive, democratic, and least divisive means of implementing constitutional reforms."

Under the 1987 Constitution, any amendment to or revision of the Constitution may be proposed by:

• the Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members (constituent assembly)
• a constitutional convention during which Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, call a constitutional convention, or by a majority vote of all its members, submit to the electorate the question of calling such a convention, and
• a people’s initiative upon a petition of at least 12% of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least 3% of the registered voters therein

— BM, GMA Integrated News