SEN. Robin Padilla has filed a resolution urging the Senate and the House of Representatives to call for a constitutional convention (ConCon) to amend the 1987 Constitution.
“The 1987 Constitution has been repeatedly described as ‘outdated’ because of its failure to address the challenges brough by the present global and local landscape… After almost three decades after its approval, there is a need to revise the 1987 Constitution so that our government can respond properly to the current needs of the nation,” Padilla said in the still unnumbered proposed resolution.
He noted the three modes of Charter change as mentioned in the Constitution: through a constituent assembly, a constitutional convention, or a people’s initiative.
In pushing for the ConCon mode, Padilla said: “In a constitutional convention, the revision would be participatory and democratic granting that the delegates are elected by the people and are more likely to be a more diverse and representative body.”
He cited a position paper submitted by faculty members of the University of the Philippines’ Department of Political Science which “enumerated” the advantages of having a constitutional convention in introducing amendments to the Charter: it “encourages more participation of other actors, likely promotes diversity and pluralistic views and opinions, and delegates (are) selected through popular elections.”
Padilla also said the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms (IPER) has said that “the members of a constitutional convention, being elected specifically for the revision of the Constitution, are more focused on the task at hand and that the process will be democratic, transparent, and deliberative.”
“To dispel any doubt that a proposed revision to the 1987 Constitution would only advance the interests of a few, a constitutional convention is deemed to be the more appropriate mode of doing said revision,” he added.
Under his proposed resolution, Padilla said the convening of the constitutional convention will be decided by two-thirds of all members of each house voting separately.
