The Commission on Elections on Tuesday said holding a plebiscite to amend the 1987 Constitution earlier than 2025 would be rigorous for the poll body and would stop the ongoing voter registration for the National and Local Elections in May that year.
“If you are to conduct a national plebiscite, there are a lot of logistical problems, because you must not only consult Filipino voters in the country but also Filipinos abroad,” Comelec chairman George Garcia said.
Garcia said the poll body can conduct a plebiscite, but “we can’t do it if there’s going to be national and local elections and barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.”
“We are pressed for time. We don’t have enough time to prepare for the two elections in 2025. And so, the conduct of the plebiscite before the year ends, based on my opinion, is too short a time for the Commission on Elections,” he added.
However, the Comelec chief said the agency will obey Congress should it decide to conduct the plebiscite separate from the midterm polls.
“On the question of whether the plebiscite and elections could be done simultaneously or not, that is a legal issue and a political issue which the Comelec cannot interfere with,” Garcia said.
“The Comelec will always respect the decision of our political departments—the executive and legislative departments of government,” he added.
Senator Sonny Angara also said the Senate would stick to the timetable set by President Marcos and would target the holding of a plebiscite on constitutional amendments together with the May 2025 national elections.
Angara, a lawyer and former law professor, pointed out that by holding the plebiscite in May 2025 “will save 13 to 14 billion pesos according to the Comelec.”
This developed as nearly 1 million new voter applicants have signed up to participate in the midterm elections since the registration started three weeks ago.
The Comelec said 910,918 have registered from Feb. 12 to March 4. With the latest high turnout of applicants, the poll body believes it will reach the three million estimated new voters for the 2025 NLE.
Calabarzon has the highest number of applicants with 165,702, followed by the National Capital Region with 140,638; Central Luzon with 98,976; Central Visayas with 70,972; and Davao Region with 55,315.
Cordillera Administrative Region with 10,346 registrants, Mimaropa with 22,069, and Caraga with 24,331 have the lowest turnouts so far.
Applicants may register from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in any Comelec office nationwide.
The poll body’s Register Anywhere Project (RAP) is also open for those who wish to register to vote in designated sites like malls and schools.
Previously, lawmakers proposed the holding of an early plebiscite for the ratification by the people of proposed amendments to the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions.
They made the proposal in a news briefing in response to a statement by veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal that holding the plebiscite together with the May 2025 local-congressional elections would be unconstitutional.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez and Reps. Geraldine Roman of Bataan, Jeffrey Khonghun of Zambales, and Francisco Paolo Ortega of La Union said they welcomed Macalintal’s statement.
“I have been consistent with my position na hindi po talaga dapat isabay po ito sa mid-term elections natin. First of all, we cannot allow the Constitution to undergo political mudslinging and be politicized by what happens during midterm elections,” Suarez said.
“Number two, we cannot allow the Constitution to be tackled at the same level as midterm elections. It is more important that we talk about the Constitution, so it should be separate when it comes to voting,” he said.
Roman said the Macalintal’s statement “affirms the House stand that a separate plebiscite should be held and the idea of holding it together with national elections is counterproductive.”
“It is also a reminder to our colleagues in the Senate that we would have to work with a sense of urgency. If the ultimate goal is basically to approve RBH 6, it should be approved at the time when we do not have to hold a plebiscite alongside the national elections,” she said, referring to the resolution containing proposed economic amendments pending in the Senate.
Roman urged senators to shed their “irrational fears” that the House would eventually consider political amendments.
“No politician in his right mind would actually try or even attempt to introduce political amendments when for the longest time, we have been assuring our friends in the Senate that we are only interested in amending the economic provisions,” she said.
“And of course, the request of our President is also clear, the request of our Speaker is also clear, purely economic provisions lang po. So, trust us, trust us…it’s not good to operate on the basis of irrational fears…we really need to be rational, to be professional about it, and be efficient,” she said.
Khonghun said it would be better for Filipino voters to understand the proposed amendments if a plebiscite is conducted separately from the midterm elections in May next year.
“It is better to separate it and make it an earlier plebiscite because it is difficult if our Constitution is politically sensitive. Also to be understood, understood, and taken to heart by our people,” Khonghun said.
For his part, Ortega said the Constitution should be put “on a pedestal platform on its own and should not go with the midterm elections.”
“That’s why we have RBH 7 [House version of proposed amendments] now, we are showing them that this is purely economic exercise that we are doing…and we are removing what they are always saying that it is political, the Cha-Cha is all about political that’s it…’when it comes to the plebiscite, we will also show that it’s not about, it’s not political, it’s really economic,” Ortega said.
Suarez said with the Macalintal statement, they have the “legal basis” to insist on the conduct of the plebiscite earlier than the May 2025 elections.
“You know, the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and we have to protect it, we have to uphold it, we have to safeguard it, and in doing so, we have to make sure that when we do conduct amendments and go through a plebiscite for it…” he added.
The Quezon lawmaker pointed out that he could not understand why the Senate wanted the plebiscite to coincide with the 2025 polls.
“We welcome the (Macalintal) opinion. Now I hope we can move forward with this,” he said, noting it is also important for the House to find out the Senate timeline. With Maricel Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta