Regional Election Director Dennis Ausan yesterday said the election offices in Negros Occidental are now prioritizing the verification of signatures submitted by groups pushing for the people's initiative for Charter Change.

Ausan, who met with provincial election supervisor Daisy Real and the local election officers in the province on Tuesday in Bacolod City, told the DAILY STAR that although there is no timetable for the verification, officers and employees of local Commission on Elections offices are fast-tracking the checking of signatures so they could finish the job at the soonest possible time.

He said he told the election officers that the sooner they finish the work, the sooner they will have peace of mind.

Ausan added that, despite the sheer volume of signatures that need to be verified, things are smooth-sailing for the COMELEC offices in Negros Occidental up to now.

"So far, there is no problem here," he said.

Ausan said the COMELEC's position on the verification of signatures is that it is part of the daily routine and mandated functions of the election office. It is normally a day-to-day task because the COMELEC also verifies signatures as requested by banks and for issuance of passports, he said.

Ausan said the election offices are meticulously verifying the signatures because they will have to issue certifications based on their findings, on whether the signatures are genuine or authentic and the signatories are legitimate voters.

In Negros Occidental, about 15 percent of the signatures have been verified, so far, out of the about 100,000 signatures submitted by the proponents of the people's initiative.

Each congressional district in the country is required to produce signatures equivalent to three percent of their voting population in order for the people's initiative to prosper.

Among those that have submitted signatures to the COMELEC for verification are Bago, Talisay Cadiz, Escalante, Kabankalan, Silay, Sipalay and Victorias cities, and Binalbagan, Calatrava, Cauayan, Ilog, Isabela, La Castellana, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Don Salvador Benedicto and Valladolid towns.*NLG

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