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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Word war pa more? Senators' 'pekeng initiative' claim an 'insult', 'hurtful'--House leader

Word war pa more? Senators' 'pekeng initiative' claim an 'insult', 'hurtful'--House leader

Published Feb 12, 2024 05:43 am

At A Glance

  • House Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. described as an "insult" the claim of some senators that the recent People's Initiative (PI) for Charter change (Cha-cha) was a "pekeng initiative" or fake initiative. 

IMG-37f53473af0007b50f656d8cc578fce8-V.jpgPampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. (PPAB)

Looks like the tirades between the House of Representatives and Senate won't be ending soon.

On Monday, Feb. 12, no less than House Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. described as an "insult" the claim of some senators that the recent People’s Initiative (PI) for Charter change (Cha-cha) was a "pekeng initiative" or fake initiative.

"Insulto po sa mga taumbayan kapag sinabi mong pekeng inisyatibo. Kaya nga People’s Initiative eh," Gonzales said during a press briefing in the House.

(It's an insult to the people if you refer to it as fake Initiative. It's called People's Initiative for a reason.)

The PI--before it was suspended by the Commission on Elections (Comelec)--involved the collection of signatures for the purpose of filing a petition seeking a constitutional amendment. This revision was meant to facilitate economic Cha-cha.

Gonzales shared that one of the mayors in his district was among the first signatories of the PI when it was launched last month. So eager was the mayor and the constituents for economic Cha-cha that nearly 25 percent of the registered voters in the district immediately signed up.

"Sabi nga ni mayor, mayor ako pero people din ako eh (The mayor said, a mayor is part of the people too)," Gonzales said.

"Bakit tatawagin mong pekeng inisiyatibo yun. Mayor na nga pumirma. Ibig sabihin, mayor ba, hindi niya alam ang ginagawa niya?" he said.

(Why would you call it a fake initiative. A mayor was among those who signed. Does that mean the mayor didn't know what he was doing?)

Gonzales reiterated that the signatures for PI weren't "bought", which senators have also claimed.

"Kaya yung sinasabi po nilang paratang na pera, may bigayan? Ni singko po...walang ni singkong binigay sa mga taong pumirma...Kaya medyo parang nakakasakit yun eh," he said.

(As to their claim that money was being exchanged for signatures, not a single centavo was given to the signatories...that's why their remarks are somewhat hurtful.)

Related Tags

aurelio dong Gonzales jr. Senators word war People’s Initiative
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