The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has partially lifted its suspension on people’s initiative proceedings. It now accepts signatures for proposed national or local legislation, while keeping the ban on constitutional amendment initiatives.
In Minute Resolution 26-0223 dated March 18, Comelec stated that the suspension imposed in January 2024 is lifted except for initiatives calling for constitutional amendments. “We will not accept new signatures or filing of people’s initiative for the amendment of the Constitution because the rules on that are still suspended,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia told The STAR. “Civil society groups that want to push legislation – for example, anti-political dynasty – can now do so,” he said. Preliminary results from a House of Representatives research arm show 54 percent of provincial, district, and municipal posts occupied by officials linked to political families, equating to about 9,800 positions from an estimated 4,200 dynastic families nationwide. CPBRD deputy secretary general Romulo Emmanuel Miral V noted the methodology may have errors, such as unrelated officials with similar surnames. – Jose Rodel Clapano
