LAMBINO vs.

COMELEC
G.R. No. 174153 October 25, 2006
CARPIO, J.

Facts:

Petitioners Lambino and Aumentado ("Lambino Group"), with other groups and individuals,
commenced gathering signatures for an initiative petition to change the 1987 Constitution. The
Lambino Group filed a petition with the COMELEC to hold a plebiscite that will ratify their initiative
petition under Section 5(b) and (c) and Section 7 of the Initiative and Referendum Act ("RA 6735").
The Lambino Group's initiative petition changes the 1987 Constitution by modifying Sections 1-7 of
Article VI (Legislative Department) and Sections 1-4 of Article VII (Executive Department) and by
adding Article XVIII entitled "Transitory Provisions."

Issue:

Whether the Lambino Group's initiative petition complies with Section 2, Article XVII of the
Constitution on amendments to the Constitution through a people's initiative

Ruling:

No. The Lambino Group miserably failed to comply with the basic requirements of the Constitution
for conducting a people's initiative.

Section 2, Article XVII of the Constitution states:

Sec. 2. Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through
initiative upon a petition of at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters of
which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered
voters therein.

The Lambino Group did not attach to their present petition with this Court a copy of the paper that
the people signed as their initiative petition. The Lambino Group submitted to this Court a copy of a
signature sheet after the oral arguments of 26 September 2006 when they filed their Memorandum
on 11 October 2006. The signature sheet with this Court during the oral arguments was the signature
sheet attached to the opposition in intervention filed on 7 September 2006 by intervenor Atty. Pete
Quirino-Quadra.