The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, Jan. 15, said it is ready to investigate allegations of bribery in the proposed people's initiative to amend the Constitution provided a complaint is filed and evidence is submitted.

DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Domoinic F. Clavano IV made the assurance during an interview on PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon following calls made Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to have the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is under the department, to investigate the allegations.

“So we are just waiting for any formal letter or correspondent from the good senator as well as other local governments which may want to share a little bit of their experience, give their statements, and possibly some evidence para po pwede natin gamitin as basis para gumalaw po (so we can have basis to take action),” Clavano said. 

At the moment, he said the DOJ cannot act because “wala po tayong nakikitang ebidensya pa  (we have to yet to receive evidence) and we’ve always been evidence based.”

Without a complaint and evidence, "baka po premature gumalaw pa (It might be premature to act),” he explained.

Pimentel earlier expressed concerns about the  allegations raised by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel that persons have been offered P100 to sign the petition for Charter Change (Cha-cha) masked as people’s initiative.

But he said that if indeed people were paid for their signatures, the money could have been sourced from sectors with vested interests.