By Junex Doronio

MANILA — With 3.5 million Filipinos lacking birth certificates, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre is pushing for the swift passage of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Bill, also known as House Bill 9572.

“This bill is especially crucial for Filipinos who, due to various circumstances, were not registered at birth. Delayed birth registration must be accessible to all, free from bureaucratic hurdles and financial burden,” Acidre emphasized.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 3.5 million Filipinos lack birth certificates, many of whom are from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“We must recognize that many unregistered individuals come from marginalized communities. They often face challenges such as poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and disability. By making the birth registration process responsive and accessible, we can address these disparities and ensure that no one is left behind,” Acidre noted.

He explained that a comprehensive Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system in the Philippines will ensure that every Filipino is recorded and documented.

“By ensuring that every birth is registered, we are laying the foundation for a society where everyone can exercise their rights and access essential services,” Acidre said.

(el Amigo/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — “Look who’s talking.”

This was the gist of the reactions of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre to the claim of feisty former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte that he was a victim of “political persecution.”

The Tacloban local chief executive, who is a cousin of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, said the Taclobanons would rather gather to celebrate the feast of Santo Niño than listen to the “blasphemous” protests led by Duterte.

“There are many religious people here. They know there will be cussing. They don’t want that,” Romualdez said.

It can be recalled that during the height of his popularity, Duterte cursed and called God “stupid” because of the biblical story about the creation of Adam and Eve.

Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre echoed Romualdez’s apprehension, saying there were more curses than prayers in previous rallies led by Duterte.

In an open letter addressed to Taclobanons, Duterte charged the Marcos administration with efforts to stop the holding of the Maisug rally, which was initially slated for May 25 at the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Plaza.

“As part of the Marcos administration’s policy of stifling peaceful dissent, they are doing everything to prevent this rally from happening,” Duterte ranted.

Mayor Romualdez, husband of former sexy star Cristina Gonzales, is also a cousin of the President.

He denied Duterte’s allegations, saying the event was canceled due to the onslaught of Typhoon Aghon.

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Party-list Representative, Jude Acidre, on Saturday (30 March 2024) criticized the recent Pulse Asia survey on Charter change (Cha-cha) as “malicious” and “unfair.”

The survey, conducted from March 6 to 10, indicated that 88 percent of respondents were against any alterations to the 1987 Constitution, while only eight percent favored amendments.

Acidre argued that the survey’s questions and scenarios were designed to instill fear among Filipinos regarding Cha-cha, rendering the results invalid, unfair, and irrelevant to the current context.

He pointed out that the 1,200 respondents’ negative responses were influenced by politically charged questions concerning the extension of terms for national and local elective positions, a shift from a bicameral to unicameral legislature, a transition from a presidential to a parliamentary system, and a change from a unitary to a federal system.

“These political-themed amendments were not included in Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, which aims to relax restrictions on the economic provisions of the Charter. They were not discussed during our extensive deliberations in the House because they were never part of our agenda,” Acidre emphasized.

Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by Tangere, showed that a good majority, or 52% of Filipinos favored Charter change.

(By el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Saying that it was only Senate interpretation that the two houses of Congress shall vote separately, House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre stressed on Thursday (22 Feb 2024) that the 1987 Constitution does not mandate separate voting for the proposed amendments of the 1987 Constitution.

“Ang voting separately, dinagdag po ‘yun ng Senado kung anong nakasulat sa Saligang Batas. Tayo po [sa House of Representatives] we stand with what’s written in the Constitution,” Acidre said in a press conference.

The Tingog party-list lawmaker cited Section 1, Article XVII (Amendments and Revisions) of the Constitution, which states that “Any amendment to, or revision of, the Constitution may be proposed by: 1) The Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members…”

“Kinopya lang po natin doon, pagpapakita po na ang House ay sumusunod po sa pangkasalukuyang Saligang Batas ng bansa,” Acidre maintained.

Earlier, former Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that if the House refuses to concede and insists on “voting jointly” in amending the Charter, then “any member of Congress or any tax payer can now go to SC to raise the question.”

“Supreme Court ang dapat na arbiter dito,” Carpio said.

(el Amigo/MNM))