Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will study moves to amend the 1987 Constitution once lawmakers make progress on the matter, Malacañang said on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Previously not a supporter of charter change, Senate President Vicente Sotto III is now pushing for it, driven mainly by the Supreme Court decision that affirmed that the 2025 impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte was unconstitutional.
Malacañang said Marcos and his economic team have not yet discussed constitutional amendments, even during the meeting on Friday, Jan. 30.
“Naka-focus kasi ang pangulo sa pag-angat sa ekonomiya ng bansa,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a message to reporters on Saturday.
[Translation: The president is focused on improving the country’s economy.]
“Ngunit kung may nagawa na silang hakbang patungkol dito, ito naman ay aaralin ng Pangulo,” Castro said.
[Translation: But if Congress has made efforts on this, this will be studied by the president.]
In 2024, Marcos said he is open to introducing constitutional reforms on “economic matters alone.”
Under the 20th Congress, the House of Representatives has started committee deliberations on bills, including three proposed Resolutions of Both Houses, tackling constitutional amendments.
Sotto’s support for charter change was focused on clarifying impeachment proceedings, but he also told reporters this could now also address economic provisions.
He said he plans to talk with House Speaker Faustino Dy III about setting up a meeting following the Supreme Court ruling on Duterte’s impeachment.
Marcos himself is facing impeachment complaints on various issues, including his alleged involvement in the flood control corruption scandal, with the House of Representatives starting initial committee deliberations on Monday, Feb. 2.
The flood control mess was a significant factor behind the disappointing 4.4 percent economic growth in 2025, missing the economic team’s target range of 5.5 to 6.5 percent and more than a percentage point lower from 5.7 percent in 2024.
