The Diocese of San Carlos on Wednesday, Nov. 11, called on its clergy, Catholic schools, and lay organizations to intensify signature collection for the “Dapat Isa Lang” (D1L) People’s Initiative, an anti-political dynasty campaign aimed at enacting electoral reform across the country.
In a circular letter dated Nov. 11, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza urged parish priests, mission station leaders, and diocesan heads across Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental to help gather at least 38,084 signatures to meet the local five-percent benchmark across the diocese’s three legislative districts.
The D1L initiative seeks to gather 7.5 million signatures nationwide to trigger a referendum that would prohibit political dynasties, fulfilling a mandate under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Alminaza pointed out.
To qualify for a national referendum in 2027, the campaign must hit its target by Jan. 30, 2027, or by July 30, 2027, to align with the 2028 general elections, he said.
Alminaza, in his circular, said nationwide sign-ups stood at 22,244 as of Sunday midnight.
While far from the ultimate target, he noted a 175 percent weekly jump in digital signatures and a 137 percent increase in new website users—the highest weekly growth since the campaign site launched on Sept. 30.
The initiative’s immediate national target is reaching 100,000 signatures to build broader momentum, Alminaza said.
Within the diocese’s jurisdiction, sign-ups reported as of Nov. 10 totaled 76 against the 38,084 benchmark: 36 signatures in the 1st District of Negros Oriental (target: 14,602), 30 in the 1st District of Negros Occidental (target: 12,871), and 10 in the 2nd District of Negros Occidental (target: 10,611), he said.
Alminaza stressed that the initiative is non-partisan and directed against systemic governance issues rather than specific political families or parties.
Citing post-2025 election data referenced by the Supreme Court, Alminaza noted that political clans account for 19 of 24 senators, 212 of 254 district representatives, 71 of 82 provincial governors, and all elected mayors in Metro Manila.
The bishop also highlighted research linking dynastic concentration to persistent poverty rates in the Visayas and Mindanao.
To drive local action, the bishop directed parishes to set up D1L information desks following Sunday and daily Masses, incorporate the campaign’s themes into homilies and formation sessions, and mobilize volunteers to assist voters in completing the digital petition process at D1L.org.
The diocese framed the push as a concrete observance of the upcoming World Day of the Poor on Nov. 15.
Church leaders stressed that participation must remain strictly voluntary, with volunteers instructed to guide voters through the submission of voter location details, signature images, and identity verifications without coercion.*
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