Image courtesy of Facebook: People's Initiative and Referendum Movement Alliance
The Empowered People’s Initiative and Reform Movement Alliance (ePIRMA) will hold their The People’s Congress at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center, Paseo de Roxas corner Benavidez Street, Makati City, on November 9, 2013 from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.
ePIRMA’s The People’s Congress is an offshoot of the events in the recent series of protests against the alleged abuse by certain members of Congress of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which began with the Million People March protest and was sustained by more movement in the streets, including the more recent Ayala Avenue rally and Million Mask March.
Answering the recurrent question “what now?” or “what’s next?”—signifying some protesters’ apprehension about the citizen’s role as mere protester obliged to wait for people in government to act on his demands—EPIRMA was formed even before former Chief Justice Reynato Puno made his pronouncements on TV about a people’s initiative as a possible answer to the pork barrel issue.
ePIRMA convenors are familiar with a direct democracy feature in our Constitution, namely the people’s initiative clause (Article XVII, Section 2), as well as its enabling law, Republic Act 6735, the Initiative and Referendum Act. ePIRMA later announced to the press saying the people could go in this constitutionally-bestowed direction wherein the people can become a third house of Congress, armed with the power to craft a law that the people want when the Congress of the Republic fails or refuses to craft that law or ignore its importance to the people.
While acknowledging the importance of the continuing protests, ePIRMA took the parallel route of a dream initiative that it hopes would finally address the problem and subject of the continuing spurts of protest: a bill to reform the public finance system, but written by the people.
First, ePIRMA’s convenors formed an alliance with various other reform-seeking groups and individuals, with the aim of consolidating various ideas. The alliance then hastened to form a legal team that would craft the framework of their dream law. Finally, they decided to call for a People’s Congress.
ePIRMA’s People’s Congress idea came about due to the following occurrences:
Two events confirmed ePIRMA’s apprehension about protesting as a frustrating act when it’s the sole act people can resort to. First, there was the petition by the government in the Supreme Court to withdraw the Court’s prior restraining order on the PDAF, which displayed Congress’ general reluctance to scrap the PDAF. Second, the lengthy Congressional debate on whether to junk the PDAF (“pork barrel” or discretionary fund) or not, which was held despite protesters’ call for its final and immediate scrapping. These events prompted ePIRMA to hold the belief that Congress will never legislate against its own interests, and therefore that the people must establish and hold its own alternative Congress.
But, above all, the legal team of ePIRMA—tasked with the responsibility of writing the initiative bill—felt that they cannot be content with a bill with mere legalese. With their mission born from the tenets of participatory democracy, ePIRMA and the group’s legal team decided that their bill must first be presented to the people and to leaders of various groups willing to join the movement.
ePIRMA’s People’s Congress thus renders the ePIRMA legal team as akin to a congressional committee that has crafted a bill (or the framework of a bill) that shall now present its product to a plenary session that would debate on the bill, suggest emendations to it, or simply laud it.
The group realizes, however, the enormity and tediousness of their task that not only must be open to suggestions coming from the appreciation of various parties, but that they must likewise avoid any challenge to the initiative bill’s constitutionality. ePIRMA know the bill cannot be done by either the eagerness of amateurishness or the inspiration of anger, even realizing the possibility of endless emendations on the bill that might be necessary before it can be filed at the COMELEC. Furthermore, the group also know that the government may open itself to compromise, discussion and counterproposals regarding the people’s bill. In short, the group know that the People’s Congress may have to be sustained even after the November 9 event.
For information or inquiries, please contact:
Empowered People's Initiative and Reform Movement Alliance (EPIRMA)
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pirma/
Email: epirmaph@gmail.com
For those interested to join the People’s Congress, please PM me or email @epirmaph@gmail.com
