Koko Pimentel: Senate doubts PI ‘not from the people’ but from House members

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel said the senators have cast doubts if the People’s Initiative drive seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution was a legitimate grassroots movement.

In a television interview on Friday, Pimentel was asked if he believes Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez when he said the House of Representatives supports the resolution of Both Houses delving into the Charter’s economic provisions.

Romualdez on Wednesday said the lower house is ready to work in unity with the Senate on amending the economic provisions of the Constitution, as proposed under Resolution of Both Houses No. 6.

“That may be true. But then I think, there was an agreement that the Senate would take the lead in studying these proposals to amend the economic provisions as well as in starting the ball rolling through the constituents' assembly. So that was the obligation on the part of the Senate,” he said over the CNN Philippines’ The Source.

“But, on the part of other party, to which the Senate leadership was talking with… the expectation was for them to stop the ongoing signature campaign or so-called People’s Initiative, which we doubt to be from the people,” Pimentel further stressed.

The Senate earlier suspends discussions on Senate Resolution of Both Houses 6 seeking to review economic provisions of the Constitution, due to the backing of House members to the ongoing people's initiative, particularly the support to the joint voting for charter change.

Pimentel said the senators have been receiving consistent reports from their respective networks that some members of the House of Representatives are also “behind” the P.I. drive.

“As supported by reports which senators have been receiving, independently of each other from our own networks. Remember we are nationally elected officials. Our votes came from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, so we have our own networks nationwide—so these are the consistent feedback that those monitoring on the ground in getting signatures are members of the House of Representatives,” he noted.

Pimentel said reports from the field also point to the members House of Representatives who are behind the monitoring and cascading signature campaigns on the ground.

“Sila ang umiikot, sila ang mga nagpre-pressure sa mga (They are the ones roaming around, they are the ones pressuring the) local government officials and other personalities tapos (and then) we could see in the media who are the ones posting that they already have the minimum number of signatures—although that is a bluff that is not a statement of fact—but who are the one positing about this—it’s the members of the House of Representatives also,” he said.

“So everything, all the feedback. All of the proof and evidence point to the House of Representatives so what is our conclusion? We also think people, but we have other conclusions that this has been launched and initiated as well as supported, even maybe funded by the House of Representatives,” Pimentel added.

Pimentel said the lower chamber’s leadership must stop pushing the People’s Initiative and follow the original agreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives in reviewing the Charter.

“They should stop it. We will know it. We will feel it on the ground because we are 24 nationally-elected officials and we each have our own networks with some having more extensive than the others so may feedback po kami,” he lamented.

“‘Wag na lang salita kasi meron na ngang supposed agreement that we believe was not complied with in good faith,” Pimentel added.

Pimentel said the election officers should have questioned the signature forms when they reached them, noting that there’s no enabling law on the People’s Initiative.

The Senators opposed the P.I. signature drive as it would empower the House to lead charter change, potentially removing the Senate in crucial voting on amendments such as no-election scenarios and lifting term limits of government officials.