By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Amid the fiery debates over charter change (Cha-Cha) via people’s initiative (PI) that tends to polarize the nation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday announced that it has suspended “indefinitely” the acceptance of signature sheets by the local Comelec offices pending the review and revision of the said guidelines.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia disclosed in a press conference that the Comelec en banc unanimously voted for the suspension of Comelec Resolution No. 10650 which covers the guidelines for the PI.

“We honestly believe, base sa aming initial assessment, kailangan naming i-review, i-enhance, dagdagan ‘yung aming existing IRR o implementing rules and regulations concerning the people’s initiative dahil sa ating palagay, may mga bagay doon na kulang at wala doon sa ating guidelines,” Garcia declared.

He added: “Kailangan po ito para maiwasan ang problema, kaguluhan, at hindi pagkakaunawaan doon sa interpretasyon ng probisyon ng ating mga rules.”

Maharlika NuMedia learned that as of January 26, 2024, the Comelec has so far received signature forms for the PI from a total of 1,072 municipalities and cities.

Garcia clarified again that the submitted signature sheets were not yet verified by the Comelec as the required number of signatures has not yet been met.

He further said that there is no formal petition yet for the PI.

“Sa aming palagay, sana naman ‘wag kaming obligahin kung gaano kahaba o kaiksi ‘yung panahon na kakailanganin namin para ma-review namin ang rules. Sinabi rin naman ng Korte Suprema sa naging desisyon niya… na dapat ang people’s initiative ay isang kapangyarihan ng mamamayan at dahil dito, dapat siguraduhin natin that the people will able to exercise really this right under the constitution,” Garcia stressed.

Earlier, President Ferdinand ‘“Bongbong” Marcos Jr. when asked for his thoughts on the PI, replied that: “Let Comelec do their job.”

To recall, in December last year, presidential cousin Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said that the House of Representatives was keen on launching a people’s referendum to determine how the House and the Senate should vote on proposals amending the 1987 Constitution.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — It seems there’s no stopping for the momentum of the voters’ signatures favoring charter change (Cha-Cha) via People’s Initiative (PI) as of Wednesday (24 Jan 2024) two million signatures have been collected.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will continue to accept signatures collected by the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (PIRMA) despite opposition from some quarters led by the country’s Senators who declared their unanimous declaration against it by issuing an official manifesto on Tuesday (23 jan 2024).

“We apologize for those who call for the Comelec to stop accepting signatures, as we cannot do it. It is part of our duty as mandated not just in the law but also in the guidelines that the Comelec has promulgated in 2020. If they think that we are doing wrong, then they can question the guidelines”, Comelec chairman George Garcia said.

Since the required number to proceed with the filing of a petition is eight million signatures, or 12 percent of the total registered voters nationwide, and three percent of the registered voters per legislative district, with the two million already collected, only six million signatures are needed to have a plebiscite.

In the plebiscite, the voters will be asked if they agree that the Senate and the House of Representatives will vote jointly for amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

On Tuesday (January 23), all the 24 senators opposed a proposal for both chambers of Congress to vote jointly to change the 1987 Constitution.

The senators said they could not cast meaningful votes against more than 300 congressmen.

As of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the poll body said it has issued Election Officer (EO) Certifications to 187 out of 254 legislative districts and 1,010 cities and municipalities.

Garcia said they are still waiting for the remaining 67 legislative districts to submit their signature forms.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Despite the stiff opposition from an election lawyer, the Commission on Elections on Tuesday said there’s nothing wrong in its move to receive and count signatures in an ongoing People’s Initiative (PI) campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution even before a petition was filed.

Comelec chairman George Garcia pointed out that the signatures were being tallied based on the guidelines specified in the poll body’s Resolution 10650.

“We cannot change the guidelines when there is already a process ongoing… at this point there is no petition yet. This process has not yet started. What the Comelec is doing is a purely ministerial function,” Garcia said in a television interview.

He explained that local Comelec offices would eventually certify the signature forms that would “form part of a petition that will be filed later.”

On Monday (January 22), election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said it was “premature” to submit the signature sheets to the poll body without a formal petition lodged with the Comelec.

Macalintal argued that “it gives a wrong impression to the people that an initiative to amend the charter has already been properly or validly initiated.”

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — In a significant development, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Wednesday (29 Nov 2023) that it has disqualified Smartmatic, the voting technology company, from participating in any future procurements conducted by the poll body.

Smartmatic, which has been the provider of vote-counting machines in the Philippines since the shift to automated elections in 2010, now faces exclusion from upcoming electoral technology contracts.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia emphasized that the decision to disqualify Smartmatic was not influenced by a petition alleging irregularities in the 2022 polls.

The petition, filed by the group led by former Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio, Jr., aimed to prevent Smartmatic from bidding for the 2025 automated election system.

“It’s not based on the allegations of Rio and company. We have to maintain the integrity of our electoral process. Para sa bayan,” Garcia stated, underlining the commitment to safeguarding the electoral system.

Smartmatic, in response, stated that it has not received official notification of the decision.

The company asserted its clean record, highlighting that it has never been indicted in the United States or any other country for any election-related contracts throughout its 23-year history.

“We urge Comelec officials to conduct this search independently and to show to the public any indictment against Smartmatic. We are confident that there is no such indictment in the United States,” the company declared.

The disqualification comes amid ongoing controversies, including the United States government seeking assistance from Comelec in a money laundering case involving former poll chief Andy Bautista.

Both Smartmatic and Garcia have vehemently denied the allegations, with the company emphasizing its consistent adherence to all of Comelec’s procurement processes during biddings and contract execution.

(ai/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

TAKING NOTICE that only about 40 percent of the estimated 1.7 million overseas Filipino qualified voters were able to vote in past electoral exercises, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now eyeing to implement internet voting for Filipinos based abroad in the upcoming 2025 midterm polls

On Wednesday, November 22, Comelec Chairman George Garcia explained that this move is aimed to increase the voter turnout and to make it more convenient for overseas Pinoy voters.

“Para sa 2025, regardless whether there is law or not, the Comelec is pursuing internet voting for overseas Filipinos,” disclosed Garcia during the Updates on Political Party Institutionalization and the 2025 National and Local Elections conference held at The Bayleaf Intramuros in Manila.

He added that despite the 2022 polls’ seeing the highest overseas voting numbers, they were still less than half of the registered Filipino voters abroad.

“That’s very important. Kasi ang botante abroad in 2022 ay 1.697 million pero ang nakaboto, 40.59 percent lang. That’s about 670,000 but it’s the highest in the history of overseas voting, highest pa po ‘yon,” Garcia noted.

Presently, there are two ways of voting for Filipinos abroad.

The first option is for the voter to go to the Philippine embassy or consulate to cast his or her vote.

And the second option is through the mail, wherein the embassy or the consulate sends the official ballot to the voter, who then mails it back to the diplomatic post.

(AI/MNM)

By Liza Soriano

MANILA — The Senate Committee on Finance has augmented the 2024 budget of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

During the budget deliberation, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel highlighted that the House’s version had reduced the proposed 2024 budget of Comelec under the National Expenditure Program by P200 million. However, the Senate has now allocated an additional P500 million to the commission’s funds.

Senator Imee Marcos, the sponsor of the Comelec budget in plenary, expressed the commission’s aspiration to reinstate at least P5.96 billion in the fund, ensuring that preparations for the 2025 elections are not compromised.

The estimated cost for the 2025 national and local elections is P39.68 billion, with P22.9 billion allocated for election preparations. Anticipating an increase in the number of voters to reach 71 million by 2025, additional funds will be required for additional precincts.

The 2024 fund encompasses P19.8 billion for the rental of 116,000 vote counting machines (VCMs) at P155,000 each, along with contingencies for 11,000 VCMs.

The procurement of ballot boxes, ballot printing papers, and SD cards is also included in the allocated fund.

(ai/mnm)

No more than a massive turnout of voters is expected as the Commission on Elections dispatches official ballot boxes to different voting precincts nationwide for Monday’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

Featured in photos here are personnel of the Manila Treasurer’s Office and local Comelec loading up ballot boxes for delivery on Sunday, October 29, 2023, to Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School in Tondo, Manila, and other voting precincts.

In the forthcoming 2023 BSKE, a grand total of 672,016 positions are up for grabs, including 42,001 seats for Barangay Chairman, 294,007 for the Sangguniang Barangay, as well as an equivalent number of positions for the SK Chairmanship and SK Council.

The Commission on Elections has reported a total of 1,414,487 individuals participating in the BSKE, with 96,962 vying for the Barangay Chairman role, 731,682 contending for seats on the Sangguniang Barangay, 92,774 candidates for the Sangguniang Kabataan, and 493,069 individuals seeking positions in the SK Council.

(Benjamin Cuaresma/ai/mnm)