“We need a new Constitution to correct anomalies that have been the source of political division”
IT IS unfortunate that the 1987 Constitution ratified by the people did not include an official map of the Philippines, which could have been to our advantage in our dispute with China over some shoals and islets in the West Philippine Sea.
That is why I think it is about time we amend the Constitution in many ways to settle some disputed facts like our continued disputes with China over some shoals and islets in WPS.
Right now I can pinpoint the following and the need to settle them once and for all: first, an official map would indicate the undisputed ownership of the Philippines of the West Philippine Sea.
Like I said earlier some shoals and islets in the WPS continue to be the source of dispute with China.
Second, there is the need to be clear about political dynasties.
While the provision on political dynasties in the present Constitution is there, it should be made clear once and for all that more than two members of a family within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity and affinity should not be elected to the same position and to similar positions.
Third, there is also a need to clarify once and for all that the president and vice president should be in one ticket, meaning to say they should not be in different tickets, so that we will not have what we have now, the continuing dispute, as we also had before in the previous administration, between the president and vice president.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte were on the same ticket, but in truth and reality they were not. That is why we have now the continued division between the President and the VP.
There is also a need to clarify regions in the Philippines so that senators can be elected regionally, since at this point, Santa Banana, several regions in the country remain unrepresented by the Senate.
There is also a need to clarify once and for all – the biggest anomaly in our Constitution.
I refer to the institution of party-list based on the assumption that congressmen of one district cannot represent the entire district. and many claim still to be unrepresented and without any representation in Congress.
It should be made clear once and for all, Santa Banana, that they cannot have the party- list system all over the country because the party list system has been abused.
For instance there are so called party-list members of Congress of all kinds of representation when they are already represented by the elected members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
This to me is the biggest anomaly of all, the creation of the party-list system.
I recall discussions when the present Constitution was being framed.
The question was whether or not a member of Congress , either a congressman or a senator represents some members of the so-called marginalized and unrepresented.
That is the reason why we have party-list members of different names, such as the party- list representing the Ilocanos, when the Ilocanos are all over the country, and a party list representing Tagalogs, while Tagalogs are all over the county.
I even believe there is no need to separate regions in so far as dialects, language are concerned.
For instance in Cotabato City, which is basically and ethnically Muslim in origin, so many languages are spoken, like Cebuano , Chabacano (a leftover of Zamboanga) and also Tagalog.
There are even Ilocanos in the region and all over Mindanao you can find Ilocanos.
That is why there is a need to make everything clear about the claim of the marginalized and without representation.
Ilocanos, for instance, are all over the country, like the Tagalogs.
In the Visayas, the Cebuanos dominate the region and they are all over Mindanao. Even among the Muslims there are those who speak Tagalog and Cebuano.
It is time to have a new Constitution to remove misrepresentation of Filipinos by dialects. Make the Filipinos one and not separate them by the dialects they speak. Have a survey on what we Filipinos want considering all these problems existing.
We need a new Constitution to correct anomalies that have been the source of political division.
