The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chaired by Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez convened recently for its second regular meeting and first public consultation on measures proposing constitutional reform.
Discussed during the morning session were two House bills and a petition for indirect initiative under the initiative law.
These are House Bill 6698 introduced by Manila Representative Benny Abante, Jr. and HB 6805 by Leyte Representative Richard Gomez. Both bills seek to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution through a constitutional convention.
Meanwhile, Petition 1 is a petition for indirect initiative pursuant to Sections 3 (B) and 11 of Republic Act 6735, otherwise known as the “Initiative and Referendum Act”, for Congress to enact “An Act calling for a constitutional convention, providing for proportional representation therein and other details relating to the election of delegates to and the holding of the Constitutional Convention” by the Kapatiran Party (Alliance for the Common Good) represented by Edilberto Cuenca, Norman Cabrera, and Atty. Alex Lacson in their capacity as officers of the party and as taxpayers.
In his opening remarks, Rodriguez said there would be a series of public consultations nationwide on all the referred measures.
The veteran legislator said the issues to be answered in the first public consultation are the following:
1) Whether or not it is necessary to amend the constitution at this time;
2) If in the affirmative, what is your preferred mode of amendment; and
3) What is your proposed specific amendment, if any.
“The rationale for this exercise is for the committee and Congress to get the sense and pulse of the people on the important issue of constitutional reform and how it affects their lives.”
“The rationale for this exercise is for the committee and Congress to get the sense and pulse of the people on the important issue of constitutional reform and how it affects their lives,” the veteran legislator told the panel.
“Align with these principles of participatory or inclusive democracy, there will be grassroots consultation. We are going to three areas of our country – Visayas, Luzon and Mindanao, outside Metro Manila to hear our barangay captains’ grassroots opinions and positions on the three questions,” he explained.
“I filed the bill so that the Filipino people would be able to elect a delegate to the constitutional convention.”
In his sponsorship speech, Abante said he filed the bill so that the Filipino people would be able to elect a delegate to the constitutional convention, describing it as “more proper and fair”.
For Gomez, emerging from a turbulent three-year period is the most opportune time to act and change certain fundamental constitutional policies that have back the country’s economic progress since 1987.
Meanwhile, Cabrera discussed the merits of the petition.
Among the resource persons were retired Supreme Court Associate Justices Vicente Mendoza and Adolfo Azcuna; Atty. Christian Monsod, member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission; Atty. Neri Colmenares, Chairperson of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL); Atty. Raul Lambino, member of the 2005 Consultative Commission; and Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA) Vice President for Luzon Atty. Dionisio Garciano.
