Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Senate minority bloc remains opposed to the proposed Charter change (Cha-cha) to amend the 1987 Constitution and federalism.
“Yes, until the last time na nag-usap kami, tutol po kami sa Charter Change ni Presidente,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros said she is opposed to Cha-cha under the present administration because President Rodrigo Duterte “is just using it for his other political agenda.”
She also described the proposed shift to federalism as “half-baked,” saying that there is no assurance that proposed federal states will have the “capacity for governance” and “financial autonomy.”
She even accused the President of using the proposed shift for his other political agenda whether its term extension or not or installing a successor that would ensure that he would not be chased for accountability over various crimes and human rights violations.
“He has been peddling about federalism but that is half-baked. It has different shapes but does not guarantee capacity for governance or financial autonomy- thise that will become federal states,” she added.
The senator noted that the minority bloc remains “united” in its stance that a Constitutional Convention should be the appropriate process to change the charter.
Senator Joel Villanueva, meanwhile, said they have yet to discuss the merits of changing the Constitution.
Villanueva said that while he does not see any urgent need to amend the constitution, he does not want to preempt any discussion.