SENATORS yesterday gave varied reactions to a fresh bid by the leadership of the House of Representatives to revive Charter change (Cha-cha) initiatives.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III said that while he is in favor of Cha-cha, this should be limited to revisiting the Constitution’s political provisions to improve the country’s system of governance.
The mode, he added, should be through a constitutional convention.
Pimentel also said next year would be the right time to push for Cha-cha so the revisions can be made before a new set of senators are elected during the mid-term elections in 2025.
“It is always timely to revisit the 1987 Constitution for as long as the motives are honest and honorable, like advocating for structural change in the government system,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel likewise said that should amendments to the political provisions of the Constitution are made, term limits of elected officials should not be included as he thinks that a new form of government — from presidential to federalism — can be considered.
“Sa adoption of federalism, open po ako sa idea. Pero kung plano ay ipagbili sa mga dayuhan ng ating lupa at mineral resources ay tututulan dapat (I am open to the idea of adopting federalism. But if the plan is to allow foreign ownership of our lands, that should be opposed),” Pimentel said.
Speaker Martin Romualdez earlier this week said lawmakers would make try next year to push for constitutional amendments that will focus on economic provisions deemed “very prohibitive.”
“I believe 2024 will allow us again to revisit the whole issue of the Constitution because I think it’s timely that we revisit and I’d say we’d like to focus very much on the economic provisions,” Romualdez said in an interview.
Romualdez said the lower house will study the possibility of Cha-cha when Congress goes on a break for the holidays starting December 16 to January 21 next year.
“And perhaps there might be some initiatives even during the break that would prepare us for the ensuing year, and perhaps that would be our legacy in the 19th Congress,” he said.
Sen. Imee Marcos reminded the House leadership that senators have been cold to the idea of Cha-cha despite the push of neophyte Sen. Robin Padilla, who is the chairperson of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments.
Padilla has proposed that restrictive economic provisions be tackled once lawmakers agree to do Cha-cha. However, senators said such economic provisions have already been remedied by amending the Public Services Act, the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and the Foreign Direct Investments Act, among others.
Marcos said there might be a hidden political agenda behind the renewed push for Cha-cha.
“Ang kulit naman. Talagang sinabi n ani PBBM na hindi napapanahon kasi dapat nakatutok tayo sa hanapbuhay ng tao, ibagsak ng presyo ng bigas at iba pang bilihin, at dalawang beses na yan binasura ng todo-todo ng Senado. Bakit pinagpipilitan, bakit ganoon? (It is already annoying. PBBM [President Bongbong Marcos] has already said that it is not timely because we need to focus on generation of jobs, and how to lower the price of rice and other commodities. That has been rejected twice in the Senate. Why are they insisting?),” Marcos said in a chance interview.
Asked to speculate why the Cha-cha issue was being revived, Marcos said: “Baka may gustong mag PM na hindi manalo sa president (Maybe somebody wants to be prime minister who has no chances of winning in the presidential elections).” She did not elaborate.
Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva said Cha-cha discussions should include two things — the timing, and the process to be made.
Sen. Francis Escudero said Cha-cha can only prosper if it clarifies at least these two issues.
“What specific procedure will they follow or take in amending the Constitution? And what are their specific proposal or amendments vis-í -vis the 1987 Constitution?” he said.
