Senators hit ‘people’s initiative’ to postpone mid-term elections

MANILA – Several senators opposed the idea of postponing the 2019 mid-term elections via people’s initiative to give way to the shift to a federal government.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez broached the idea that those who support federalism may initiate a move to cancel the polls, which he stressed is the most practical way to push for Charter change.

Many senators, including the re-electionists, will “fight tooth and nail any attempt to cancel the 2019 mid-term elections,” said Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

“Wrong and self-serving” was how Lacson described Alvarez’s idea.

It is a “waste of resources” and will only divide the country “into deeper political abyss,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

“The electoral process is a fundamental tenet of democracy … the period when the electorate [are] empowered to choose their own leader who they think best represent their beliefs and ideologies,” he added.

The Arroyo administration has tried this but failed, said Sen. Grace Poe.

“It is a lengthy and tedious process,” she said. “The Speaker should not try any shortcuts and tricks if he believes the proposed Charter is judicious and a true solution to the needs of our people.”

The idea is simply impossible, according to Sen. Francis Escudero.

“They need the signatures of at least 12 percent of the total registered voters, with each congressional district represented by at least 3 percent of the registered voters therein,” he explained.

“Thereafter, the Comelec (Commission on Elections) shall verify each and every signature before it can order/schedule the referendum which, in turn, can be questioned before the Courts by any interested party if it is indeed sufficient in form and substance.”

Government funds that will be used for a people’s initiative and a plebiscite on extending term limits “can be put to better use,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan said.

The proposal, said Sen. Ralph Recto, is “not a real people’s initiative but a Speaker’s initiative or political elite initiative.”/PN

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