00:00 The Senate has now met the lawyer who is named in the signature form for the People's Initiative.
00:08 But it was clarified that he is not a member of the group of signatures,
00:11 which according to the SEC is 20 years unregistered in the commission.
00:17 Ian Cruz is on the case.
00:19 After being subpoenaed, Attorney Anthony Abad met the Senate earlier.
00:25 He is in the signature form for the People's Initiative to change the Constitution.
00:30 His name is in the form because the petitioners wrote it alphabetically.
00:35 But he is not a member of the People's Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action
00:41 and he is just assisting in matters related to the constitutional and legal aspects.
00:46 It's just problematic to me because I actually have the transcript of Mr. Oñate's testimony during the last hearing
00:54 during which he said, "Anthony Abad is one of the volunteers in our professional sector."
01:00 In November, he was the first to assist in the People's Initiative.
01:05 In December, they met Nina Oñate and several congressmen, Speaker Martin Romualdez.
01:11 Oñate is the lead convener of the group of signatures, who also met Ed Sapuera,
01:17 who is behind the petition, to help in the Charter Change.
01:20 The group of signatures is 20 years unregistered in the Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC.
01:25 In fact, PIRMA no longer exists as of February 10, 2004. Is that correct?
01:32 Yes, Madam Chair. Their certificate of registration has been revoked since February 10, 2004.
01:38 Since the time of their incorporation, they have not submitted any reportorial requirements with the SEC.
01:45 According to the SEC, Oñate and Abad were not part of the group of signatures when they submitted their incorporation.
01:51 Oñate's lawyer also insisted that the corporate registration of the SEC was being fixed, but they submitted a document online.
01:59 February, just this February, Madam Chair.
02:02 So, just after the hearing?
02:04 Yes, Madam Chair.
02:06 The process is?
02:08 The process is, Madam Chair,
02:10 PIRMA no longer exists. It's been 20 years.
02:12 I'm just confused, Atty. Abisada, about your timeline.
02:16 You initiated the People's Initiative, but your PIRMA documentation is not yet fixed.
02:24 Before that, the discussion was heated when Senators Oñate asked for the list of donors for the P55 million TV ad placement of Ed Sapuera.
02:35 For additional information of the committee, our contributors were also invoking their right to privacy.
02:43 He returned the more than P27 million of donations he had collected from his three bank accounts.
02:50 The DSWD also insisted on the more than P26 million in the ACAP program, which was a donation to the PIRMAs in the People's Initiative.
03:01 But the DSWD cannot explain this.
03:04 Madam Chair, ACAP is just as foreign to us, technically, as Senator Batol.
03:11 As it is provided in line item.
03:14 Yes, you said in Mapuro, I understand.
03:16 For the GMA Integrated News, Ian Cruz, in Catutok, 24 hours.
03:19 [MUSIC]
