2. • Article 5 of the 1987 Constitution of the
Philippines, Section 1 states that, “suffrage may be
exercised by all citizens of the Philippines…”
Article VI. The Legislative Department
• Section 1. “The Legislative Power is vested in the
Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a
Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the
extent reserved to the people by the provision of
initiative and referendum (Philippine 1987
Constitution).”
• The general initiative and referendum were first
adopted in the United States in South Dakota in
1898.
4. Local Initiative - the legal process
whereby the registered voters of a
local government unit may directly
propose, enact, or amend any
ordinance.
Local referendum - the legal process
whereby the registered voters of the
local government units may approve
or reject any ordinance enacted by
the Sanggunian..
5. Who May Exercise?
The power of local initiative
and referendum may be
exercised by all registered
voters of the
provinces, cities, municipaliti
es,and Barangays.
Procedure in Local Initiative
Local Government Unit Number of registered voters
a)
Provinces and Cities 1000
Municipalities (towns) 100
Barangays 50
6. (b) If no favorable action thereon is
taken by the Sanggunian concerned
within thirty (30) days from its
presentation, the proponents, through
their duly authorized and registered
representatives, may invoke their
power of initiative, giving notice
thereof to the Sanggunian concerned.
(c) The proposition shall be numbered serially starting from Roman
numeral I. The Comelec or its designated representative shall
extend assistance in the formulation of the proposition.
(d) Two (2) or more propositions may be submitted in an initiative.
(e) Proponents shall have ninety (90) days in case of provinces and
cities, sixty (60) days in case of municipalities, and thirty (30) days
in case of Barangays, from notice mentioned in subsection (b)
hereof to collect the required number of signatures.
7. (f) The petition shall be signed before the
election registrar, or his designated
representatives, in the presence of a
representative of the proponent, and a
representative of the Sanggunian concerned in a
public place in the local government unit, as the
case may be. Stations for collecting signatures
may be established in as many places as may be
warranted.
(g) Upon the lapse of the period herein provided,
the Comelec, through its office in the local
government unit concerned, shall certify as to
whether or not the required number of
signatures has been obtained. Failure to obtain
the required number defeats the proposition.
8. (h) If the required number of signatures is
obtained, the Comelec shall then set a date
for the initiative during which the
proposition shall be submitted to the
registered voters in the local government
unit concerned for their approval within
sixty (60) days from the date of
certification by the Comelec, as provided in
subsection (g) hereof, in case of provinces
and cities, forty-five (45) days in case of
municipalities, and thirty (30) days in case
of Barangays. The initiative shall then be
held on the date set, after which the
results thereof shall be certified and
proclaimed by the Comelec.
9. Effectivity of Local Propositions
If the proposition is approved by a majority of the votes
cast, it shall take effect fifteen (15) days after certification
by the Comelec as if affirmative action thereon had been
made by the Sanggunian and local chief executive
concerned. If it fails to obtain said number of votes, the
proposition is considered defeated.
10. Limitations on Local Initiatives
(a) The power of local initiative shall
not be exercised more than once a
year.
(b) Initiative shall extend only to
subjects or matters which are within
the legal powers of the Sanggunians to
enact.
c) If at any time before the initiative is held, the Sanggunian
concerned adopts in to the proposition presented and the local
chief executive approves the same, the initiative shall be
canceled. However, those against such action may, if they so
desire, apply for initiative in the manner herein provided.
11. Limitations upon Sanggunians
Any proposition or ordinance
approved through the system of
initiative and referendum as
herein provided shall not be
repealed, modified or amended
by the Sanggunian concerned
within six (6) months from the
date of the approval thereof, and
may be amended, modified or
repealed by the Sanggunian
within three (3) years thereafter
by a vote of three-fourths (3/4) of
all its members: Provided, That in
case of Barangays, the period
shall be eighteen (18) months
after the approval thereof.
12. Authority of Courts
(Chapter II, LGC of 1991)
Nothing in this Chapter shall prevent or preclude
the proper courts from declaring null and void
any proposition approved pursuant to this
Chapter for violation of the Constitution or want
of capacity of the Sanggunian concerned to
enact the said measure.
13. What is the difference between
Initiative and Referendum?
• Both initiative and referendum are powers given
to the voters to accept or reject a piece of
legislation, though initiative allows people to get
the government to do what it should have and did
not, while referendum give people the power to get
the government “not” to do what they wanted to
do.
• Initiative starts with votes, whereas legislative
referendum initiates from the legislature and goes
to the public, to approve or reject the proposed
legislation.
Notas del editor
According to Abraham Lincoln, he best described democracy as the "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." For that government to be "by the people," however, requires that the people decide who shall be their leaders. Without free and fair elections, there can be no democratic society, and without that constant accountability of government officials to the electorate, there can, in fact, be no assurance of any other rights. The right to vote, therefore, is not only an important individual liberty; it is also a foundation stone of free government.
Since the Republic of the Philippines is a democratic country, its people exercise the right to vote. As embedded in the Article 5 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, Section 1 states that, “suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines…” and suffrage as has been defined is “not a natural right of the citizen but merely a privilege to be given or withheld by the lawmaking power subject to limitations”. Suffrage then includes initiative and referendum.The general initiative and referendum were first adopted in the United States in South Dakota in 1898, and many states soon followed. The movement toward direct legislation did not grow from a desire of the people to exercise the legislative function directly. Rather, many people distrusted their legislative bodies, believing that large corporations and powerful groups of individuals were corrupting legislation. The power of referendum made most legislation subject to the will of the people.
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM Initiative – the power of the people to propose amendment to the constitution or to propose and enact legislations (national or local legislations) through an election called for that purpose Referendum – the power of the electorate to approve or reject legislation through an election called for that purpose.
(a) Not less than one thousand (1,000) registered voters in case of provinces and cities, one hundred (100) in case of municipalities, and fifty (50) in case of Barangays, may file a petition with the Sanggunian concerned proposing the adoption, enactment, repeal, or amendment of an ordinance.
The referendum power is created by state constitutions and is conferred on the citizens of a state or a local subdivision of the state. Referendum provides the people with a means of expressing their opinion on proposed legislation before it becomes operative as a law. The power of referendum does not permit the people to invalidate a law that is already operative but suspends or annuls a law that has not yet gone into effect. The referendum along with the initiative, are the two forms of direct legislation adopted by many states during the direct democracy movement of the early twentieth century. Referendum allows the people to state their opinion on laws that have been enacted by the legislature, and the initiative allows the people to propose their own laws. Thus, in the states that have adopted the initiative and referendum, the people essentially form another branch of the legislature, having the ability both to enact laws and to overturn laws passed by the elected legislature but not yet in effect. An initiative or a referendum passed by the people has the same force and effect as any act of the legislature. A referendum may be challenged on constitutional grounds; on grounds that proper procedures were not followed in the referendum process and election, or on grounds that the referendum or initiative was outside the scope of authority granted by the state constitution.