Sara Duterte slams ‘signature-buying’ for people’s initiative

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday called out the ongoing people’s initiative (PI) for Charter change amid the issues the country is facing.

Duterte also said that money is being exchanged for signatures in the PI.

“Mga kababayan, ang isinasagawang ‘Pera kapalit ng pirma para sa People’s Initiative’ ay patuloy na nangyayari araw-araw sa siyudad ng Davao at sa iba pang bahagi ng bansa. Isa itong repleksyon ng pagkahilig ng mga politiko na bumili ng boto tuwing eleksyon,” Duterte said in a statement.

(My fellow countrymen, the ‘Money in exchange for signatures in the People’s Initiative’ is happening every day in the City of Davao and other parts of the country. It is a reflection of politicians’ penchant for buying votes during the elections.)

READ: Hontiveros hits people’s initiative route for Cha-cha

According to Duterte, efforts to amend the Constitution despite rampant poverty and other issues are a reminder that there was a failure to pinpoint the root causes of the Filipinos’ problems and how to solve them.

“Para sa mga Pilipino, alalahanin din natin na maaaring ang sukli sa suhol kapalit ng pirma sa people’s initiative ay may seryosong konsekwensiya sa ating buhay, kalayaan, at kinabukasan,” Sara Duterte said.

(For Filipinos, let’s also remember that the exchange of bribes in exchange for signing the people’s initiative has serious consequences on our lives, freedom, and future.)

The PI has garnered mixed responses from the government. Officials as high as Senate President Juan Miguel and Zubiri and even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have criticized the plan.

READ: New initiative push: Perilous, dangerous 

Marcos deemed the PI divisive and charged the Senate with leading possible revisions to the Constitution.