Referendums in the Philippines

Administration

As with other electoral exercises, referendums and plebiscites in the Philippines are administered by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The commission's authority to conduct such exercises is mandated by the 1987 Constitution and further detailed in the Omnibus Election Code. COMELEC is responsible for preparing the ballots, supervising the voting process, and canvassing and proclaiming the results.

National referendums

Spanish colonial period

In 1599, King Philip II of Spain ordered a referendum in several areas to confirm Spanish sovereignty in the islands. It was approved.

American colonial period

In 1935, the first national plebiscite was held, for the ratification of the 1935 constitution. This was seen as an independence referendum, and those in favor of adoption the constitution overwhelmingly outnumbered those who were opposed.

Two years later, a plebiscite asked women if they wanted suffrage for themselves. Unlike other referendums, 300,000 votes to the affirmative were needed; Filipino women turned out in droves, with more than 447,000 voting for suffrage.

Two years later, a plebiscite asked the people about economic adjustments. These were amendments to the Tydings–McDuffie Act. The people overwhelmingly approved the amendments.

In 1940, a plebiscite asked three questions to the people. These were amendments to the constitution that restored the bicameral Congress, allowed the re-election of the president, and created the Commission on Elections. The people approved all three, but not as overwhelmingly as the 1935 and 1939 plebiscites.

Third Republic

The Americans granted independence to the Philippines on July 4, 1946. Prior to that, Congress passed Commonwealth Act No. 733, the local version of the Bell Trade Act passed by the United States Congress, which include parity rights for both Filipino and American citizens to exploit Philippine natural resources. As this meant amending the constitution, a plebiscite was called after it was passed by the Philippine Congress by much difficulty. Turnout was low, but the measure was approved by the people by a 5:1 margin.

By 1967, there were moves to revise the constitution. Congress passed amendments to the constitution where it increased the number of congressmen, and allowed incumbent members of Congress to sit in the incoming constitutional convention. In a plebiscite held together with the 1967 Senate election, the people overwhelmingly rejected both questions. This was the only time the government lost. A constitutional convention was elected in 1970, and new constitution was put to a plebiscite in 1973.

Martial law and Fourth Republic

President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 23, 1972. Martial law prevented Congress to convene. The constitutional convention presented to him the draft constitution by December 1972. Meanwhile, some senators have been organizing to convene on the supposed resumption of Congress by January 22, 1973. Marcos then created barangay or citizens' assemblies. These assemblies, instead of via secret ballot, voted via showing of hands on the new constitution, and whether to hold another plebiscite for approving the constitution, from January 10 to 15, 1973. The citizens' assemblies overwhelmingly approved the constitution, and voted not to hold another plebiscite.

Marcos had several more referendums, all being voted by citizens' assemblies, and won on overwhelming margins.

Fifth Republic

Marcos was overthrown after the People Power Revolution, where he was alleged to have cheated during the 1986 presidential election. Corazon Aquino, Marcos's opponent, became president, and did away with the 1973 constitution. She appointed a constitutional commission that drafted a new constitution. This was then approved by the people in a plebiscite in a margin of more than 3:1.

Local plebiscites

Local plebiscites have mostly been for the creation, inclusion to, or division of new autonomous regions, provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays.

This is a list of local plebiscites, from the regional down to the municipal level. A law, proclamation, resolution, or ordinance has to be passed for a plebiscite to take place.

Regional-level plebiscites

These plebiscites asked for the creation of, or the inclusion of a place, in an autonomous region.

The 1987 constitution states that there are two autonomous regions: Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera. Five successful plebiscites in Mindanao have led to the creation of the present-day Bangsamoro via a 2019 plebiscite. In the Cordillera, two plebiscites have failed, the latest in 1998, and it is still treated as a regular administrative region.

Provincial-level plebiscites

These plebiscites asked for the creation of a province or involved an entire province. A group of cities and municipalities (most usually a legislative district or, formerly, sub-provinces) that aim to become provinces have provincehood (in the case of legislative districts) or conversion (in the case of sub-provinces) plebiscites. There had also been plebiscites asking for the transfer of the provincial capital from one municipality to another, the selection of a provincial capital, and the renaming of a province. There was also a plebiscite asking a province if they would approve the conversion of a component city within that province to a highly urbanized city. A "highly urbanized city" is politically, administratively, and fiscally independent from a province.

Municipal- and city-level plebiscites

These plebiscites involved entire municipalities or cities, asked for the incorporation of a new municipality, or asked for cityhood. Most plebiscites involving entire municipalities ask for its cityhood, conversion from being a component city to a highly urbanized city (see provincial-level plebiscites section above), creation of a new municipality from a group of barangays within it, its renaming, the creation of new barangays, transfer of one barangay from one municipality to another, or merger with other municipalities in order to become a city.

Barangay-level plebiscites

There have also been plebiscites in barangays for renaming them or creating new ones, either from certain sitios or by dividing and merging existing barangays. There have been hundreds of such plebiscites since the 1980s.

People's initiative

People's initiative refers to either a mode for constitutional amendment provided by the 1987 Philippine Constitution or to a process of initiating a national or local measure under the Initiative and Referendum Act of 1987.

While there have been no successful national people's initiatives, there have been several attempts. In 2014, the People's Initiative against pork barrel gathered 10,000 signatures submitted to the Commission on Elections, but a referendum did not push through. In 2020, it was proposed that a people's initiative could be used to grant ABS-CBN a new franchise, but lawyer Emil Marañon described it as "legally problematic and practically impossible to hold."

Local initiatives are possible. The first recorded initiative under the Initiative and Referendum Act was in Barangay Milagrosa, Quezon City, aimed at addressing the influx of informal settlers and illegal drugs in 2011. The initiative passed, with 465 in favor and 384 against, out of 3,665 registered voters eligible to participate.

Local initiatives