# Bayanihan Constitution/Article VI

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Source: Full text: Consultative Committee's draft federal constitution. The Philippine Star.
ARTICLE VI PEOPLE'S INITIATIVE, PLEBISCITE, AND REFERENDUM
SECTION 1. The Federal Republic recognizes and promotes the mechanism of people's initiative as the means of the sovereign people to directly propose amendment to, or revision of, the Constitution, or to propose, enact, amend, or repeal laws, acts, ordinances, or resolutions passed by any legislative body.
SECTION 2. People's initiative shall be commenced by filing with the Federal Commission on Elections a verified petition and the draft of the proposal which shall embrace only one subject expressed in the title thereof.
The proponents may avail themselves of the services of the Office of the Solicitor General or Integrated Bar of the Philippines in the drafting and processing of the proposal and the petition, free of charge.
SECTION 3. A petition for people's initiative shall comply with the following signature requirements:
(a) A proposal to revise the Constitution shall be accompanied by the signature of voters representing at least thirty percent (30%) of the votes cast in the last preceding national elections, of which every Federated Region must be represented by at least ten percent (10%) of the signatures of such voters;
(b) A proposal to amend the Constitution shall be accompanied by the signature of voters representing at least twelve percent (12%) of the votes cast in the last preceding national elections, of which every Federated Region must be represented by at least three percent (3%) of the signatures of such voters.
(d) The Federal Commission on Elections shall simultaneously verify the signatures of the voters endorsing the initiative.
SECTION 4. (a) Upon determination that the petition to enact, amend, repeal a federal law, or revise or amend the Constitution has complied with the requirements of the preceding sections, the Federal Commission on Elections shall set the date for the conduct of the plebiscite to be held not earlier than six (6) months therefrom.
(b) The Federal Commission on Elections may, on its own, refer the proposed initiative measure to the Federal Constitutional Court for advisory opinion on its constitutionality.
(c) If the Federal Constitutional Court issues a determination that the proposal does not suffer from any constitutional infirmity, the Federal Commission on Elections shall certify the measure and submit it to a plebiscite or referendum in the next succeeding national election; Provided, that the schedule is not earlier than six (6) months from such certification. If no national election is scheduled within one (1) year from the certification of the proposed measure, the Federal Commission on Elections may set the date of the plebiscite or referendum.
SECTION 5. During the period for the conduct of plebiscite or referendum, the Federal Commission on Elections shall ensure the public dissemination of information on the proposed initiative measure, which shall include the following:
(a) Production and distribution, as far as practicable, to the registered voters of pamphlets containing the title of the proposed measure, its full text, and its summary;
(b) Publication of the proposed measure and its summary in three newspapers of national circulation, and any appropriate digital platform, for at least three consecutive weeks prior to the plebiscite or referendum.
(c) Adequate time for airing of broadcast materials on the proposed measure in major national television networks and radio stations, all within two months prior to the conduct of the plebiscite or referendum, subject to proper adjustment by the Federal Commission on Elections;
(d) Holding of non-partisan people's assembly or public forum on the proposed measure at least once in every province and highly urbanized city.
SECTION 6. A proposal to enact, amend, or repeal a federal law shall be deemed adopted if approved by a majority of the votes cast in the plebiscite or referendum; Provided, that majority of the Federated Regions also voted for its approval, as certified to by the Commission on Elections. It shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the issuance of such certification.
SECTION 7. Any amendment to, or revision of, the Constitution through people's initiative shall be in accordance with Sections 4 and 5 of Article XXI of the Constitution.
SECTION 8. No amendment or repeal of a statute adopted through people's initiative shall be allowed within one year from its effectivity and except upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, voting separately.
SECTION 9. Within two (2) years from the adoption of the Constitution, every Regional Assembly shall enact the laws for the exercise of people's initiative on matters within their respective jurisdiction; Provided, that no regional people's initiative shall be allowed without the signature of voters representing at least ten percent (10%) of the votes cast in the preceding election in the region.
SECTION 10. The Congress shall appropriate an annual budget for people's initiative, which shall automatically released to the Federal Commission on Elections.
This work is in the public domain because it is a work of the Philippine government (see Republic Act No. 8293 Sec. 176).
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