The Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday that barangay officials should refrain from interfering in in the signature campaign for Charter Change or Chacha through people’s initiative.

Garcia stated during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum that he will not allow barangay officials to interfere with the people’s initiative.

“For me as the head of the Commission, I will not allow the barangay officials to interfere or intervene with people's initiative,” Garcia said.

Garcia added that once ChaCha advocates submits petition, the Comelec will authenticate whether the signatories really understood its provisions and voluntarily signed the forms.

“They were not pressured by the barangay captain, councilors, or whoever,” Garcia said.

The Comelec chairman stressed that the barangay officials are still linked to political parties even outside the election period.

Meanwhile, Garcia said that the Department of Interior and Local Government, given its authority to over barangay governments would be more suitable to issue this caution.

This was said by Garcia amid instances of supposed signature buying which were allegedly done alongside the distribution of government aids and gifts.

DILG Undersecretary Felicito Valmocina warned the barangay officials on seeking signatures for the people’s initiative.

Meanwhile, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos clarified that it was only Valmocina’s personal opinion and not the entire DILG’s official position on the matter.

In an effort to understand the involvement of barangay officials in partisan political activities, including the people's initiative, Abalos mentioned that he wrote a letter to the Comelec and is currently awaiting the commission's response.

Abalos would want to know Comelec’s decision on the matter as an en banc resolution dated April 2022 which indicates that elective barangay officials were exempted from the prohibition against engaging in electioneering and partisan political activity.

“This means barangay officials are allowed to do so, but they can’t use government resources. But let’s just wait for the Comelec’s response,” Abalos said.