Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Justice Antonio Carpio are expected to push for Charter change or “cha-cha” during today’s resumption of the Senate hearing on constitutional amendments.
The two magistrates will lead legal and constitutional experts resource persons as the discussions will focus on charter provisions which pertain to public utilities, education and advertising, according to Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the subcommittee conducting the hearing.
Puno favors the revision of the entire 1987 Constitution, saying that “the world in the last decades of the 20th century is a totally different world in the opening decades of the 21st century.”
Carpio, on the other hand, stressed the Constitution should not be revised on a piecemeal basis.
He pointed out that the geopolitical situation in the world has undergone radical transformation and the balance of political and economic power in this planet has changed.
“The digital revolution is redefining our way of life, including text and textures of our fundamental rights to life, liberty, property,” he said.
“Its piecemeal amendment will not adequately address the many problems our people have to grapple down to the ground today,” Carpio added.
Meanwhile, AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon on Sunday called on the Senate to demonstrate its dedication to supporting the economic reforms being pushed by President Marcos, who has stressed the urgency of amending the restrictive economic provisions under the 1987 Constitution.
Bongalon agreed with the President’s observation that the Constitution, while having served the country well for over three decades, contains provisions that now pose limitations to economic growth, foreign investment and governance efficiency.
“We urge the esteemed members of the Senate to take into account the statement of our President, who emphasized the need to facilitate the entry of significant foreign investments. This will pave the way for faster and more inclusive economic growth, which can ultimately lead to a better quality of life for all Filipinos,” he said.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said she fears the possible amendments to the 1987 Constitution would include political provisions, amid the assurance of some lawmakers that Charter change would be limited to economic provisions.
If a political amendment is tackled, term extensions might also be discussed, she said.
“That is part of Charter change. We are concerned that Charter change would cover political provisions. The term extension would be touched,” Castro said.
“Because some people have been pushing for that, (and) we have many fellow lawmakers at the House of Representatives, and it appears there are several, too, at the Senate batting for political provisions,” she added.
Lawyer Rene Villegas and economist Dr. Bernardo Malvar Villegas, both framers of the 1987 charter, along with lawyer Jude Ocampo, Constitutional Commission national economy chairperson, and economic expert Dr. Raul Fabella, will also be attending the hearing, Dennis Legaspi, Angara’s Communications Director Office, said.
Angara urged the public to follow the ongoing hearings to have a better understanding of the proposed amendments to the Constitution that may be tackled in a future plebiscite.
“The upside of these hearings and this process is that it is very transparent. The public can watch them in real time on the Senate’s YouTube channel, or whenever they’re free,” he said.
Officials from the Makati Business Club, Joint Foreign Chamber of the Philippines, BDO Capital and Investment Corp., former national security adviser Dr. Clarita Carlos, Dr. Joseph Angeles, and representatives from government agencies have also confirmed attendance.
Meanwhile, Senator Nancy Binay said the proposed amendments are “not a magic solution” to the problems confronting the Philippine economy.
She said the number one concern of Filipinos today based on various surveys is the steep prices of basic goods.
It is important to manage the expectation of the people as discussions are underway to change the Charter, Binay said.
She urged her fellow lawmakers and the public to carefully listen to all perspectives before making any decisions regarding the proposed constitutional amendments.
Senator Francis Escudero on Sunday said he still cannot say if amending the 1987 Constitution should be limited just to its three economic provisions.
“I do not know where these three came from. I know they’re the product of talks between Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez,” he said.
“In truth, I haven’t seen any study saying we will open the advertising industry… our economy will grow and there will be more foreign investors in our country,” he said.