#HumanRights #Cahcha

Akbayan Party, alongside several labor groups and social movements, staged a protest rally outside the Commission on Elections (Comelec) headquarters in Manila on Thursday, demanding the dismissal of signatures submitted for a purported “people’s initiative” (PI) to revise the 1987 constitution.

Brandishing placards emblazoned with the slogan “Comelec, Join the people! Do not validate PI signatures!”, Akbayan members underscored the critical role of constitutional bodies like the Comelec to thwart attempts aimed at subverting the current constitution to entrench politicians in power and undermine the nation’s electoral democracy.

Akbayan Party President Rafaela David asserted, “We call on the Comelec to invalidate signatures obtained through a fraudulent people’s initiative and altogether reject this ploy. As a constitutional body, Comelec must hold firm and reject any attempts that seek to destabilize our constitution and prolong the rule of political dynasties and traditional politicians.”

David emphasized, “Comelec’s obligation is to safeguard the integrity of our electoral democracy. Any maneuver to sidestep this process through a self-serving charter change must be vehemently opposed.”

Underscoring the potential ramifications of current constitutional revision efforts, Akbayan cautioned against the perilous prospect of indefinite suspension of elections.

“Disguised as economic reform, cha-cha serves as a thinly veiled power consolidation scheme for political dynasties and traditional politicians. It paves the way for a perilous trajectory wherein the very essence of democratic elections is jeopardized, potentially leading to a bleak scenario devoid of elections in 2025, or worse yet, in 2028,” David said.