Senator Francis Escudero on Wednesday called on the Commission on Elections to “repurpose” the P12 billion fund initially intended for the supposed People’s Initiative plebiscite since it has already suspended all the proceedings on the matter.

During the public hearing into the alleged bribery and misrepresentation of the People’s Initiative signature drive by the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, Escudero revealed that the funding was added “last-minute” to the Comelec’s 2024 General Appropriations Act. 

Comelec chairperson George Garcia confirmed there’s an additional P12 billion in the poll body’s annual budget.

However, Escudero lamented that the fund was put in waiting for the “about-to-be-launched People’s Initiative” to succeed.

“It was neither in the President’s proposed budget nor in the Comelec’s original submission… The budgetary version of putting the cart before the horse,” Escudero said.

He added that the Comelec must revisit its budget under the Line Item “Conduct and supervision of elections, referenda, recall votes and plebiscites.”

The Comelec’s original funding for the particular line item was at P2,229,617,000 under the 2024 National Expenditure Program. It was then increased by P12 billion making it P14,229,617,000.

“Now that the President has taken a position against the People’s Initiative, and you (Comelec) are reviewing your rules, this is also an opportune time to revisit the P14 billion in your budget, realign it for the purpose of what you really need for example on capital outlays and personnel services such as the creation of positions which is well within your power to do so,” Escudero told Garcia.

In response, Garcia said they would review their budget and promised to provide a copy of the realigned appropriation to the senate panel.

The poll body chief said that the Comelec has already intended to revisit its budget for realignment even before issuing Comelec Resolution 10650, suspending the proceedings for the People’s Initiative drive. 

“We already had in our minds the items by which this P14 billion is to be spent and definitely, all of these items that this representation is willing to submit to this committee, do not pertain to any people’s initiatives or any plebiscite,” Garcia told senators.