House solon thinks Pirma’s non-SEC registration not an issue in Cha-cha

For a party-list representative, the non-registration of the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (Pirma) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not an issue in efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — For a party-list representative, the non-registration of the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (Pirma) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not an issue in efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“Just a personal opinion,” said 1-Rider Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, “[people’s initiative] is an exercise on sovereignty. It’s the will of the people, so it will not necessarily require an SEC certificate.”

“Hindi naman kailangan na meron tayong certificate to go around or so (It is not necessary that we have a certificate to go around or so,” he also said, referring to the people’s initiative (PI) for Charter change.

“SEC certificates are therefore protection on business. But for you to go around and campaign for genuine change, karapatan po iyan ng tao (that’s a human right),” he continued.

Gutierrez was reacting to an SEC official’s testimony during a hearing of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, revealing that Pirma’s registration had been revoked since February 10, 2004.

READ: Pirma behind Cha-cha signature drive non-existent for 20 years, senators learn

Also, the SEC said, Pirma had not submitted any reportorial requirements to the them since its registration on March 12, 1997.

However, Pirma’s lawyer Alex Avisado said they are in the process of perfecting Pirma’s corporate registration with the SEC.

According to Avisado, they submitted documents through the SEC’s online portal earlier this month.

But senators questioned why the name of the group was still used in the PI when it had already ceased to exist.

“Eh di sana hindi na ninyo ginamit ‘yung Pirma, ‘yung mga individual names na lang ang nilatag. People naman ito; basta may tao dun nakapirma ayos na ‘yun. Bakit pa kinaladkad ‘yung Pirma? Bakit ginamit-gamit pa itong kalansay na korporasyon na patay na,” panel head Senator Imee Marcos said during the hearing.

(I wish you didn’t use Pirma anymore, only the individual names should have been laid out. Anyway, these are people; as long as there is someone there who signed it, that’s fine. Why was Pirma even dragged? Why is this skeleton corporation that is dead still being used?)