Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) — Lawmakers are torn over the convening of a Constituent Assembly after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri filed a Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) introducing a charter change (Cha-cha) push in Congress, even as another constitutional reform campaign brews in the form of a people’s initiative.
Zubiri revealed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked the Senate to lead the charter review, and that the president himself guided the selection of three economic provisions for amendment.
Amid the Senate push, the signature campaign for a people’s initiative launched by the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action is set to continue, one of its advocates told CNN Philippines’ The Source, even after Zubiri revealed that Marcos found the people’s initiative “too divisive.”
Expressing similar sentiments to her brother, Sen. Imee Marcos called for an end to the people’s initiative and called it “DOA” (dead on arrival).
“Obviously, we need to hold public hearings, discussions, and debates on this matter,\” she said. \”If there is a demonstrable need to have these amendments, then I will support them.\”
However, she urged caution over the Senate push for a constituent assembly saying even if the RBH only lists reviews of the Public Service Act, education, and advertising provisions, there is no guarantee that another legislator will not bring up other issues.
To Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, “the ‘war’ against the 1987 Constitution has been launched from two fronts.”
“I believe these apparently separate efforts will end in a compromise by opening wide the economy to alien investments through a Constituent Assembly with the House and the Senate fast-tracking the approval of the constitutional amendment with the backing of both chambers even voting separately,” Lagman said.
He described both initiatives as divisive and out of tune, citing the country’s problems in economy, agriculture, food, education, and China’ s growing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
For Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel, the resolution represents a rising desperation as “all routes possible are being explored.”
“Before, we were still hoping na ang Senado ay mag-i-stick doon sa hindi pag prioritize sa charter change pero dahil na rin sa naging pronouncements mismo ng pangulo na pag-aralan na talaga yung pagbabago sa Constitution, tingin natin na bumigay ang Senado,” the Makabayan lawmaker said.
[Translation: Before, we were still hoping that the Senate would stick to not prioritizing charter change but because of the president’s pronouncements to study it, we feel that the Senate gave in.]
Manuel added that the race to attract foreign investments, a driving force behind calls for constitutional reform, would not solve the country’ s problems including weak agriculture and manufacturing sectors, and too much dependence on imports.
Meanwhile, Senators Win Gatchalian and Robin Padilla, long-time proponents of Cha-cha, welcomed the development.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who expressed his chamber’s support for Zubiri’s resolution, likened the opening of charter change talks to the enactment of the Maharlika investment Fund.
“It would be a welcome development for our trade partners,\” the speaker said. \”So this is no longer a concept or a desire, just like the Maharlika was. It proves that ‘we walk the talk.’ When we talk about opening up our economy, then we actualize it through acts that are clearly tangible.\”
