Congress will not rush the passage of the proposed changes to the 1987 Constitution despite being a priority measure, a leader of the House of Representatives said Sunday.
Deputy Speaker Fredenil H. Castro of the Second District of Capiz said lawmakers need time to study and draft the proposed Charter changes, which seek to shift the type of government to federalism.
“There’s no instruction from the leadership to subcommittees of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments to rush the proposal,” said Castro, one of the vice chairmen of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments.
“We are still discussing the changes. We don’t have the final proposed changes to the Constitution…based on subcommittee level,” he added.
Castro said legislators have yet to reconcile the draft Federal Constitution submitted by Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) Institute of Federalism with the House of Representatives’s proposed Federal Constitution.
The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments’ four subcommittees are still consolidating ABS Rep. Eugene de Vera’s Resolution of Both Houses 8 and the proposed changes of the PDP-Laban Federalism Institute to create the draft of a proposed Philippine Federal Constitution.
Subcommittee 1 chaired by Rep. Corazon N. Nuñez-Malanyaon of the First District of Negros Oriental is handling the provisions on the Executive-Legislative (Articles VI and VII); New article on Federal and Regional Powers, Number of States; and Local Government and Taxation/Allocation of Resources (Article X).
Subcommittee 2 chaired by Deputy Castro is drafting the provisions on the Judiciary (Article VIII); Amendments or Revisions (Article XVII); Suffrage (Article V), Citizenship (Article IV); and Bill of Rights (Article III).
Subcommittee 3 chaired by Rep. Alfredo A. Benitez of the Third District of Negros Occidental is preparing the Preamble; National Territory (Article I); Declaration of Principles and State Policies (Article II); General Provisions (Article XVI); and Transitory Provisions (Article XVIII).
Last, Subcommittee 4 chaired by Rep. Vicente S.E. Veloso of the Third District of Leyte is handling Social Justice, Labor and Others (Article XIII); Education, Science and Others (Article XIV); National Economy and Patrimony (Article XII); New article on the Bill of Duties; Accountability of Public Officials (Article XI); and Family (Article XV).
Earlier, Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez said convening Congress into a constituent assembly (Con-ass) to propose charter amendments and a shift to federalism is the top priority of the House of Representatives when session resumes on January 15. The lower chamber is expected to resume its discussion on the resolution calling Congress to convene itself into Con-ass when it resumes session on Monday.
Moreover, Alvarez said if the 17th Congress could convene into a Con-ass this January, the proposed new federal charter could be submitted for referendum simultaneously with the barangay elections on May 14, 2018.
Under Con-ass, it’s the sitting lawmakers themselves—congressmen and senators—who will serve as the delegates.
Earlier, House Committee on Constitutional Amendments Chairman Roger A. Mercado of the Lone District of Southern Leyte said liberalizing the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution and the possible removal or extension of term limits of government officials are among the top issues that would be discussed by Congress when it convenes into Con-ass early this year.
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Chairman and former lawmaker Neri Colmenares said the current Charter change proposal abolishes the office of the vice president, but does not disqualify President Duterte from running for President in 2022.
“Under the PDP-Laban Constitution, the office of the vice president will be abolished by 2019 if they succeed in having the new Constitution ratified during the 2019 elections. Vice President Leni [Maria Leonor G.] Robredo will be ousted from her office long before her term ends in 2022,” Colmenares said.