The “people’s initiative” signature drive to amend the 1987 Constitution spearheaded by private groups is underway in Bacolod City and in several areas of Negros Occidental, two mayors confirmed Wednesday, January 17.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said several groups are spearheading the people’s initiative in Bacolod barangays.
He said any attempt to pay residents P100 for their signatures would be an insult. Benitez said he does not believe Bacolodnons would gamble their future for P100.
Benitez, national League of Cities of the Philippines chairman, reiterated that the LCP already approved a resolution in March 2023 calling for Charter Change “to bring the necessary growth and development needed by our economy”.
The LCP supports any mode of amending the Constitution, he said.
The primary goal is to amend the economic provisions in the Constitution, Benitez said.
“We want to ensure that we will be at par with our neighboring countries in terms of economic development,” he said.
Benitez said he does not see why barangay captains cannot endorse the “people’s initiative” provided that signatures are not obtained, especially with the use of government funds.
The Bacolod mayor also said he does not see why the Philippine Constitution should not be amended, even the US Constitution was amended 27 times.
Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, also said on Wednesday that there are people’s initiative signature campaigns underway in several areas in Negros Occidental, including Victorias City, initiated by private groups.
“It’s not officials-led, we’ve heard we’ve seen some that are going around in the province…it’s definitely people-led,” he said.
He also reiterated that the majority of the mayors in Negros Occidental support the call for charter change.
“It’s important to have a consensus, let’s have what the people want,” he said.
At the end of the day we need development, he said, citing economic revisions to the Constitution.
“But we have to make sure when we talk about the people’s initiative, it’s truly a people’s initiative,” he said.
A petition in favor of any constitutional amendment would need to be signed by 12 percent of the total number of registered voters in the preceding election, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least 3 percent of the registered voters, the Constitution states.*