For a party-list representative, the non-registration of the People鈥檚 Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (Pirma) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not an issue in efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� For a party-list representative, the non-registration of the People鈥檚 Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action (Pirma) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not an issue in efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution.
鈥淛ust a personal opinion,鈥� said 1-Rider Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, 鈥淸people鈥檚 initiative] is an exercise on sovereignty. It鈥檚 the will of the people, so it will not necessarily require an SEC certificate.鈥�
鈥淗indi naman kailangan na meron tayong certificate to go around or so (It is not necessary that we have a certificate to go around or so,鈥� he also said, referring to the people鈥檚 initiative (PI) for Charter change.
鈥淪EC certificates are therefore protection on business. But for you to go around and campaign for genuine change, karapatan po iyan ng tao (that鈥檚 a human right),鈥� he continued.
Gutierrez was reacting to an SEC official鈥檚 testimony during a hearing of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, revealing that Pirma鈥檚 registration had been revoked since February 10, 2004.
READ: Pirma behind Cha-cha signature drive non-existent for 20 years, senators learn
Also, the SEC said, Pirma had not submitted any reportorial requirements to the them since its registration on March 12, 1997.
However, Pirma鈥檚 lawyer Alex Avisado said they are in the process of perfecting Pirma鈥檚 corporate registration with the SEC.
According to Avisado, they submitted documents through the SEC鈥檚 online portal earlier this month.
But senators questioned why the name of the group was still used in the PI when it had already ceased to exist.
鈥淓h di sana hindi na ninyo ginamit 鈥榶ung Pirma, 鈥榶ung mga individual names na lang ang nilatag. People naman ito; basta may tao dun nakapirma ayos na 鈥榶un. Bakit pa kinaladkad 鈥榶ung Pirma? Bakit ginamit-gamit pa itong kalansay na korporasyon na patay na,鈥� panel head Senator Imee Marcos said during the hearing.
(I wish you didn鈥檛 use Pirma anymore, only the individual names should have been laid out. Anyway, these are people; as long as there is someone there who signed it, that鈥檚 fine. Why was Pirma even dragged? Why is this skeleton corporation that is dead still being used?)