Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (Rep. Salceda's office)

People's Initiative (PI) backer Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda says proponents of the movement are eyeing June 2024 as possible date of the plebiscite for the proposed revision to the 1987 Constitution. 

Salceda confirmed this timeline during a press briefing Thursday, Jan. 18 at the House of Representatives. 

As a supporter to the Charter change (Cha-cha) movement, the veteran solon also said that he believes that the timeline will fit with the upcoming local elections in May 2025. 

"Yes. As far as I...as explained to me by proponents, they want to hit it before July. July plebiscite," said Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. 

Asked to clarify his statement, Salceda said the timeline he was referring to was the same as the one bared a few days ago by Kabataan Party-list wherein the plebiscite would be done by June 2024. 

The certification of the proposal's approval "by majority of votes cast" would then take place in July 2024. "I confirm that [timeline]," said Salceda. 

Kabataan Party-list, which belongs to the militant Makabayan bloc in the House, believes the Cha-cha via PI is meant to be the proponents' "gift" to President Marcos in time for his next State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July this year. 

"Ay, that's not the point," Salceda said in reaction to the "SONA gift" claim. "The point there is, it has to be reasonably actionable, that there's enough time before the 2025 elections." 

Ang kalaban ng timeline na yun is (The roadblock to that timeline is) that by October we will be filing already and there is no talk about them going on parallel. Wala (Nothing). Ang nasa isip lang (The only thing on their mind) is that by 2025 there will be an election. Of course it will proceed," he said. 

Salceda has openly backed the ongoing signature campaign for the PI that has been happening around the country. 

He said that by next week, the required number of signatures for the PI would have been achieved. The Constitution requires signatures from at least 3 percent of every legislative district and a total of at least 12 percent of the registered voters. 

“I think by next week, we must have already achieved the 12 percent, beyond the 12 percent,” Salceda said. 

"Ang matagal is yung validation. Bantayan niyo na lang yung validation sa Comelec," he said. 

(What will take time is the validation of the signatures. Just watch over the validation at the Commission on Elections.)