PBBM on the purportedly "paid" People's Initiative signature drive: Comelec need to void them

 PBBM on the purportedly "paid" People's Initiative signature drive: Comelec need to void them

On Tuesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declared that the Commission on Elections needs to nullify signatures on the People's Initiative that were acquired in return for cash.

"Well, after paying for the signature, the Comelec will not accept it. So nothing good will happen," he said in an interview after the official launch of the Lung Transplant Program of the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City.

Marcos also denied rumors that signatures were being purchased for the campaign, pointing out that there have been reports that offer incentives to signatories. He declared he would question Congressmen about the veracity of the reports.

"So, as far as I know, there is no such thing. What is said is not to pay in cash, but to promise some kind of benefits. We looked at it, and I said, "I asked our legislation, is that true?" he said.

In response to proposals that agencies halt the implementation of their social service programs so as not to be unduly utilized in the endeavor, President Marcos stated that the government could not withhold or postpone the implementation of any of its services because so many Filipinos required aid.

"Our releases have not changed, they are still constant. That's not good because there are people who really need it," he said.

Instead, Marcos stated that the Comelec need to be permitted to carry out its duties of verifying the signatures.

"We just let Comelec do their job and their work to validate the signature. And if there's suspicion that there is such a thing, those signatures don't really count," he said.

Each congressional district must collect the signatures of at least 3 percent of its registered voters for a people's initiative to be deemed significant.