PIRMA lead convenor confirms discussing PI with Romualdez

MANILA: The Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms got the confirmation from People's Initiative for Reform Modernization and Action (PIRMA) lead convenor Noel Oñate on Tuesday that he met with House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other congressmen to discuss utilizing People's Initiative (PI) in pursuing Charter change. This, after the panel showed a screenshot of a conversation showing a picture of him and other PI petitioners taken during a meeting at the townhouse of Romualdez in Forbes Park, Makati City. Oñate said the meeting should have been held at his house in Cavite but the "staff" suggested that the meeting be held at Romualdez's house. "Ako po ang nag-initiate nung meeting pero sinabi po na dun na lang gawin sa townhouse ni Speaker, but ako po ang nag-initiate (I initiated the meeting but I was told that the meeting will be done instead at the town house of the Speaker but I initiated it)," he said. Oñate admitted that they have coordinated with congressmen who act as the "chief executive office rs (CEOs)" of their districts and Romualdez who serves as the "CEO" of the House of Representatives. "I sought the help of the Speaker, inaamin ko naman po na tulungan kami dito sa (I admit, to help us in) signature gathering," he added. Amending the constitution through PI requires at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters as signatories and with every legislative district represented by at least 3 percent of its registered voters. The PIRMA leader denied that he had met with Romualdez and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, who currently chairs the House Committee on Appropriations, before the photo was shown during the hearing. Romualdez only helped in the "administrative" and "advisory" capacity as the CEO of the House of Representatives, Oñate said. "'Yung mga tao namin pupunta sa isang distrito, makikipag-coordinate sila sa congressman because it is the congressman, who is in turn, the CEO of the district. Distrito niya yun eh, so natural lamang na pupuntahan namin yung congressm an (Our people will go to the districts and coordinate with the congressman because he/she is the CEO of the district. So, it is natural that we will go to the congressman)" he said. "Ang tulong nila ay [ipaalam] kung ano 'yung population ng distrito nila, kung saan kukuha ng mga boto, tinuturo nila. Basically, administrative ang tulong nila (They are helping us by letting us know the population of their districts and where to get votes. Basically, their help is more of administrative in nature)," he added. The Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms, chaired by Senator Imee Marcos, conducted its first inquiry that seeks to determine who are behind the PI, which were reportedly done in different parts of the country with bribery and misrepresentation. Facilitator for healthy democratic processes Meanwhile, Romualdez acknowledged that representatives from the People's Initiative, including Oñate, approached him for a meeting. In a statement, Romualdez said the subsequent meeting that was held at his townhou se was 'in the spirit of open dialogue and understanding of civic actions spearheaded by our citizens.' 'As Speaker of the House, I am committed to upholding the principles of democracy and facilitating discussions on matters of national interest. The meeting with the People's Initiative representatives was an exercise in this commitment. My role, as misinterpreted by some, is not as an orchestrator but as a facilitator for healthy democratic processes,' he said. 'It is crucial to clarify that while I support the spirit of civic engagement and participatory governance, my involvement in the People's Initiative has been purely advisory and in no way extends to mobilizing or leading their signature campaign. The initiative and its operations are entirely led and managed by the group themselves,' he added. He firmly denied any allegations of involvement in unlawful activities such as vote buying related to this or any other initiative, saying such practices are against his principles. 'I urge the public and media to approach this topic with an understanding of the distinct roles in our democratic framework and to avoid conflating support for civic discourse with direct involvement in specific initiatives,' he said. House leaders also defended Romualdez's meeting with the PI representatives. In a press briefing at the House of Representatives, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzalez Jr., Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd District Rep. David Suarez, Majority Leader Jose Dalipe, and Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said photos taken with public figures should not be 'taken out of context.' 'Lahat naman nakikipag-meet kay Speaker. Maraming lumalapit para humingi ng tulong kay Speaker. And lahat gusto magpa-picture with Speaker. 'Yung pictures wala 'yan, kasi yan normally ginawaga natin lahat yan. Uupo kami, magpapa-picture kami, pero not meaning to say may pinag-uusapan tayong ganito (Everybody meets with the Speaker. Many go to him to ask for help. And all of them want to have t her pictures taken with the Speaker. Those pictures mean nothing, because all of us normally do it. We sit, have our pictures taken, but it does not mean that we are talking about these things),' Gonzales said. Suarez said lawmakers having their pictures taken with individuals, groups or various sectors is part of being a public servant. 'And like any other Filipino meeting, it always ends with a picture. It shouldn't be taken with malice, it had nothing to do with ill intent,' he said. For her part, Roman said as district representatives, they are in direct engagements with their constituents. 'It hurts that there is malicious interpretation na nagpa-picture lang kay Speaker, nagpa-picture lang sa aming mga congressman, kami na agad ang nag-initiate (that when people have their pictures taken with the Speaker, with us congressmen, we were the ones who initiated it),' she said. Pass RHB 6 now Instead of spending considerable time on investigating the PI, the House stalwarts urged their Senate counterpar ts to show their sincerity and pass the Senate's own Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6). In the same press briefing, they pointed out that senators now have no excuses to prolong deliberations on RHB 6 since the People's Initiative is literally 'dead on the water' following the Commission on Election's decision to suspend all its proceedings. 'Pass your version of RBH 6, where there are no political provisions, only economic provisions, and we will be one with the Senate. We will no longer ask for any debates. No questions asked,' Dalipe said. Gonzales recalled that Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri himself promised President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that he can have RBH 6 passed. RBH 6 was filed by Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Leader Loren Legarda and Senator Sonny Angara. Source: Philippines News Agency