Dapat Isa Lang takes anti-dynasty signature drive online

• Photo courtesy of Dapat Isa Lang Website.

The push for an anti-political dynasty law has gone digital with the launch of Dapat Isa Lang, an online platform that allows registered Filipino voters to join a People’s Initiative using their phones or computers.

The People’s Initiative Coalition Against Dynasty (PICAD) is targeting about 7.5 million signatures nationwide. The platform replaces the group’s earlier manual signature collection and is designed to make participation easier, including through digital kiosks planned in partner schools and churches.

Through d1l.org, voters can read the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act and submit their co-petition online. Dapat Isa Lang said the system also checks submissions for duplicates and validates information before issuing a unique reference number or UUID.

How to participate

1. Prepare your signature on a clean piece of paper.
2. Prepare a clear selfie and know your registered voter location.
3. Go to d1l.org and read the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act.
4. Open the co-petition form and enter the required information.
5. Upload your signature and selfie, review the details and submit.
6. Keep your UUID, which will serve as your reference for the submission.

Only qualified registered Filipino voters may participate and each voter may submit only once. Dapat Isa Lang also advises users to carefully check their information because petition records cannot be directly edited after submission.

The platform says information submitted by voters is transmitted through encrypted HTTPS connections and is accessible only to authorized personnel for purposes related to the initiative.

One major issue, however, remains unresolved. Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia said existing Comelec rules for People’s Initiatives do not yet specifically provide for electronic signatures, leaving the treatment of digitally collected signatures as an issue the poll body still needs to address.

That regulatory gap could become the biggest test for Dapat Isa Lang as it attempts to bring a traditionally paper-based People’s Initiative into the digital space.