Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 12) — The House of Representatives takes another crack at charter change, as the Senate remains on the fence about it.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said the lower chamber can focus on charter change next year, now that it has passed most of the administration’s priority bills.
On the eve of the last session day of 2023, he said it’s time to amend the 1987 Constitution to keep up with changing times.
“I believe 2024 will allow us again to revisit the whole issue of the Constitution,” Romualdez said. “We’d like to focus very much on the economic provisions. But even to get there, we have to look at the procedural aspects of the amendment of the Constitution.”
“There might be some initiatives here during the break that would prepare us for the ensuing year and perhaps what would be our legacy in the 19th Congress, which is to review and revisit the 1987 Constitution,” he added.
Last March, the lower chamber approved Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, which called for the convening of the Senate and the House into a constitutional convention to discuss charter change.
However, the resolution has been in limbo in the Senate.
Now, lawmakers are eyeing a people’s initiative as another route for charter change. A people’s initiative is one of three ways to amend the Constitution, aside from constitutional convention and constituent assembly.
Under Republic Act 6735, or the Initiative and Referendum Act, at least 12% of all registered voters must sign the petition to amend the Constitution. At least 3% of all registered voters in each legislative district must be represented in the petition.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio \”Dong\” Gonzales Jr. said he is confident that the charter change initiative will be underway before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his State of the Nation Address in July 2024.
Gonzales has a pending bill proposing changes to the term limits of elected officials, including the president and vice president.
\”Papaano ka magtatrabaho kung Bagong Pilipinas kung luma ‘yong ating Konstitusyon?\” the lawmaker said.
“Kaya that’s our objective: our objective is Bagong Konstitusyon ng Bagong Pilipinas,” he added, referring to the new brand of governance adopted by the Marcos administration.
[Translation: How will you work for the New Philippines if the Constitution is old? That’s why our objective is: New Constitution of the New Philippines.]
The group Bayan Muna, meanwhile, believes charter change will not solve the country’s problems.
“Ang ating kahirapan ay hindi nagmula sa Konstitusyon, kaya ang pag-amyenda dito ay hindi solusyon,\” said Bayan Muna chairman Neri Colmenares.
\”Kung hindi maresolba ang korapsyon, kawalan ng lupa at suporta sa magsasaka, at kontraktwalisasyon, hindi tayo uunlad kahit sampung beses pa sila mag Cha-cha taun-taon,” his statement further read.
