Comelec: No reason needed for people’s initiative signature withdrawal

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said people who wish to withdraw their signatures from the controversial people’s initiative (PI) need not state the reason for the withdrawal.

“With or without reason/s, we will accept the withdrawal forms,” Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said in a message to journalists via Viber.

Last Wednesday, the Comelec en banc approved the issuance of a withdrawal form, which would be made available in local Comelec offices to people desiring to revoke their signatures in the PI petition.

“Comelec’s acceptance of withdrawal forms is for recording purposes only and shall not be construed as formal action by the commission on the signature sheets/petition for PI,” the poll body said in a statement on Thursday.

The issuance of the forms was in response to calls by a member of the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation for the poll body to do something about pleas from signatories who wanted withdraw their signatures.

The Comelec suspended its “ministerial” acceptance and documentation of signature sheets for the PI last Jan. 29, citing the need to further study the guidelines for the exercise.

For its part, the main PI proponent, the People’s Initiative for Reform, Modernization, and Action (Pirma), belittled the impact of the withdrawal forms.

“We know about the Comelec release of the withdrawal of signature forms—that does not affect as much,” Pirma lead convenor Noel Eñate told reporters.

Eñate said Pirma has already gathered the signatures of 19 percent of total registered voters nationwide, more than the number required for a PI to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“Even if there is a withdrawal of one out of 10, we still have about 17 percent, way above the 12 percent requirement. We have enough buffer. And we are still gathering signatures,” he added.