Tents, booths set up for People’s Initiative vs pork sign-up drive at Luneta. JULLIANNE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Anti-pork groups are targeting the passage of a law abolishing the pork barrel system that cannot be rejected by the President or be repealed by Congress.
Integrated Bar of the Philippines President Vicente Joyas said that is why it is important to gather the required number of signatures for the people’s initiative against pork barrel for the move to succeed.
The 1987 Constitution provides for the passage of a law through a people’s initiative, or a petition by “at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters therein.” Currently, there are 234 legislative districts.
The proposed act will prohibit all forms of pork barrel, defined as the use of “lump sum public funds” under the “sole discretion of the President, legislator or group of legislators, or any public officer.”
Six million signatures are needed for this initiative.
Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, on the other hand said the anti-pork barrel act is significant because the President cannot reject it (has no veto power) and Congress cannot repeal it.
Citing Article VI Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, he said that “the legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and referendum.”
The campaign for gathering the signature will not end on Monday’s rally in Luneta.
Colmenares said signature gathering will continue and the groups’ target of submitting it to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be on December.
At the protest rally, tents have been set up per area and per district where participants can sign in their respective districts.
Atty. Pete Principe, national President of the Philippine Trial Lawyers Association said signing per district is necessary to make it easier for Comelec to verify the signatures.
The Comelec, in turn, will call for a referendum a few months after the submission of the petition for the act abolishing the pork barrel system.
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