The chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments last Sunday vowed to closely coordinate with the consultative committee created by President Duterte to study possible changes to the 1987 Constitution.
Rep. Roger G. Mercado of the Lone Distrct of Southern Leyte, the panel chairman, said the coordination between Congress and the Executive department—through the 19-member consultative committee headed by retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno—is needed to discuss contentious issues on Charter change (Cha-cha).
“The creation of the committee is a welcome development toward the plan to revisit or amend the Constitution. The creation of the committee would be a great help for us in drafting this historic Constitution,” Mercado said. He added his committee will also continue to hear different sides of stakeholders and conduct public consultation on the proposed Cha-cha to get other “valuable inputs.”
Despite the review panel chaired by Puno, House Majority Leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas Sr. of Ilocos Norte earlier said it will still be up to Congress to decide whether to accept their recommendations.
Last week the leadership of the both chambers of Congress have agreed to pursue separately their amendments to the 1987 Constitution that will shift the country’s form of government to federalism.
Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez said congressional leaders have forged an agreement to veer their attention away from the more “contentious issues” on Charter change, and instead try to first reach a consensus on the general features of the envisioned federal government.
Once both chambers of Congress reach a consensus on the structure of the proposed federal government, Alvarez expects the rest of the discussions for Cha-cha between the House and the Senate to “flow more smoothly.”
Not self-serving
Senior Deputy Minority Leader Party-list Rep. Lito L. Atienza Jr. of Buhay said he is confident that the consultative committee created would not produce
“self-serving recommendations.”
“Since the advisory commission does not include a sitting member of the House or the Senate, they are not expected to advocate possible amendments that might benefit incumbent elected officials. This is very reassuring,” Atienza said.
He said the advisory commission, composed mostly of legal experts, will nonetheless be helpful in providing substantial inputs.
“Nobody has a monopoly of ideas. Whatever recommendations they come up with will surely be valuable,” he said. In previous administrations, Atienza said the public became distrustful of initiatives to introduce possible changes to the Constitution, mainly due to fears that members of Congress might introduce modifications that would further their own interests.
“A controversial pitch concerns the possible lifting of the term limits of lawmakers and their family members in local posts,” he said.
According to Atienza, the existing Constitution restricts the stay in office of House members, as well as local executives to three successive three-year terms, and those of senators to no more than two successive six-year terms.
“Only a duly-elected constitutional convention [Con-con] or Congress convening itself into a constituent assembly [Con-ass] may finally propose possible amendments to the Constitution that may be submitted to the people in a plebiscite,” Atienza said.
In a Con-con, the people will elect representatives who will recommend revisions to the Constitution. In a Con-ass, Congress itself sits down to put forward the amendments.
In both cases, the proposed changes will require final direct approval by the people in a referendum.