MANILA, Philippines 鈥斕鼵ommission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Friday that 1,072 cities and municipalities have so far submitted signature pages for a people鈥檚 initiative seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution.
According to Garcia, the signature sheets came from 187 of 245 districts nationwide.
READ: Pimentel: Comelec may face raps for accepting Charter change signatures听
No information yet was available on which Comelec local offices have received any signature papers.
Garcia also once again defended the local offices against the criticism of receiving the signature pages.
鈥溾�榊ung Comelec resolution 10650, with all due respect to our good Senator Koko Pimentel, ay napromulgate po nung 2020 at 鈥榶un po ay ang implementing rules and regulations o guidelines para po sa Republic Act 6735,鈥� Garcia said when asked by reporters for a comment on Pimentel鈥檚 questioning of Comelec鈥檚 legal basis for receiving such papers.
(Comelec resolution 10650, with all due respect to our good Senator Koko Pimentel, was promulgated in 2020, and that is the implementing rules and regulations or guidelines for Republic Act 6735.)
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鈥淎s of today, 鈥榶an pong Comelec resolution 10650 ay isang valid na issuance po ng Commisison on Elections. Hindi po namin basta-basta pwede baguhin, isantabi po 鈥榶un sapagkat otherwise kami naman po at 鈥榶ung mga local Comelec [offices] ang makakasuhan po dereliction of duty,鈥� he added.
(As of today, Comelec resolution 10650 is a valid issuance by the Commission on Elections. We can鈥檛 just change it or put that aside because otherwise, the local Comelec [offices] and we will be charged with dereliction of duty.)
He also noted that Comelec will continue to accept the signature forms in accordance with the 鈥渆xisting and valid鈥� resolution unless the Supreme Court deems them invalid.
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