A Bacolod lawyer is leading a campaign to assist those who want to voluntarily withdraw their signatures in support of a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution on the grounds that they did not understand what they signed.
Lawyer Cesar Beloria on Monday, January 22, said he has a launched a signature drive in Bacolod City for those who wish to withdraw their support for the people’s initiative.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia last week said people who had signed a petition for a people’s initiative could still withdraw their signatures if they did not fully understand the significance of the planned Charter change.
Beloria said a lot of people did not understand what they signed and want to withdraw their signatures, and it is his personal advocacy to help them.
“This is my own initiative and no one is behind me,” he said.
Some said they signed the petition because they were made to believe that it was for the continuation of government programs for financial assistance, while others did so because their parents are barangay workers, Beloria said.
Beloria said he has volunteers going to the barangays to enable people to sign forms indicating their withdrawal of their people’s initiative signatures.
The withdrawal signatures will be submitted to the Comelec, he said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government should investigate reports that the signature campaign supporting ChaCha is spearheaded by barangay officials, Beloria said.
The signatures in support of the people’s initiative submitted to the Negros Occidental Comelec increased to 211,741 on Monday, January 22, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said.
The additional 29,294 signatures came from EBMagalona – 7,750, Victorias City – 8,054, La Castellana – 6,385 and Hinoba-an – 7,105.
Last week signatures submitted to the Comelec from Bacolod City were 69,098, Calatrava – 11,726, Escalante City – 11,458, San Carlos City – 10,811, Manapla – 6,205, Sagay City – 15,052, Murcia – 4,529, Silay City – 5,904, Talisay City – 4,927, Bago City – 7,725, La Carlota City – 7,376, Pontevedra – 3,969 , Cauayan – 6,848, IIog – 6,609 and Sipalay City – 10,21.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he was surprised that the signatures from Bacolod reached 69,098.
That means the general public is saying it about time we do something that is different, he said.
“I do not believe the people will sign without understanding what they signed,” Benitez said.*