Dalipe urges halt to Cha-cha signature campaign Senate probe

On the second day of the Senate probe into the signature campaign for Charter change via a people’s initiative, House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe on Friday called on the Senate to stop its inquiry arguing there was no proof that money was offered in exchange for signatures.

Senate Suffrage and Electoral Reforms Committee Chairperson Imee Marcos led the Senate inquiry, which was held in Davao City.

Dalipe argued that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had indefinitely suspended the acceptance of signatures for the people’s initiative and asked the proponents to retrieve signature sheets submitted to local Comelec offices.

“This means that the PI (people’s initiative) is in the freezer, for now. So, what is there to investigate, unless the purpose is to target some personalities, embarrass them,” Dalipe said.

Dalipe then said that Senators may also be losing interest in the probe on the people’s initiative “judging from the thin attendance in Davao City and continued failure of the witnesses to present evidence of alleged bribery.”

“The Senate inquiry is just a waste of taxpayers’ money that could otherwise be used for productive purposes,” Dalipe added.

"After two hearings, no witnesses have come forward to say that they received money or were bribed to sign the petition calling for Charter amendments," agreed House Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez of Quezon. 

"Nakakahiya na tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang imbestigasyon kahit lahat ng testigong iniharap nila sa pagdinig ay nagsasabing hindi sila nabayaran." 

(It would be embarrassing for this probe to continue even if the witnesses said they were not bribed.)

Senator Marcos, however, disputed House members’ claims of a lack of witnesses on sold signatures. 

"Napakaraming testigo, hindi tulad ng ibang nagsasabi wala nang testigo, wala nang interesado,” Senator Marcos said.

(There are a lot of witnesses, contrary to those who claim otherwise, and that supposedly, people are not interested in this anymore.)

“Maraming interesadong magsumbong, sobra sobra ang dami at yung iba natatakot. Iyong iba, walang takot,” she added.

(There are a lot of people who want to blow the whistle on this... we have more than enough. Some are scared, but some are not.)

Senator Marcos also denied allegations that the Senate probe was out to malign personalities without basis.

“Hindi naman natin pinupursige ito upang pahiyain sila or pagtawanan or ituro sila, kundi para malaman natin itong katotohanan at itigil na itong people’s initiative (PI),” she said.

(We are not doing this just to shame, laugh at, or for the sake of finger pointing. We are doing this to ferret out the truth and stop this PI.)

“Talagang nakakainsulto ang ginagawa nila. Huwag naman ganito... My preference was to put an end to this PI and let us do it properly without demeaning and degrading our people. The constitution is not for sale, neither are the Filipinos,” she added.

(What they did was insulting. Let us not resort to this.)

During the first day of the Senator Marcos-chaired panel’s probe on the people’s initiative for Cha-cha, proponent Noel Oñate of the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (PIRMA) initially denied reaching out to Speaker and Leyte lawmaker Martin Romualdez.

However, Oñate subsequently admitted to coordinating with the Speaker to secure the required signature of 3% of each legislative district’s registered voters so that a petition for a people’s initiative for Cha-cha could be filed with the Comelec.

"That was the time that I coordinated with the Speaker… That was the time that I sought the help of the Speaker to help us in the signature campaign,” PIRMA lead convenor Oñate said.

Before the Senate probe, lawmakers flagged alleged attempts to hoodwink voters to sign the people’s initiative for Cha-cha by promising them government aid in exchange for their signature.

Meanwhile, the Senate had scheduled deliberations on its Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 6, which seeks amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution, next week.

RBH 6 seeks an amendment to the constitutional restriction provisions on foreign ownership of public services, education, and advertising industry by adding the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law."

Dalipe reiterated his call on the Senate to adopt RBH to end the people’s initiative for good.

“Let us just work together on passing RBH 6,” Dalipe added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News