Duterte: Cha-cha to also cover economic provisions

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte’s order for a review of the Constitution will cover not only political provisions like the system of government but the Charter’s economic sections as well.

The directive is contained in Executive Order (EO) No. 10, in which the President created a 25-member consultative committee (con-com) to review the Constitution. He signed the EO last Wednesday.

He directed the panel to “study, conduct consultations and review the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, including but not limited to the provisions on the structure and powers of the government, local governance and economic policies.”

Duterte has been advocating a shift to the federal system, but has not articulated any proposal involving the Charter’s economic provisions.

The President is expected to appoint con-com members soon. He gave the panel six months to complete its job and submit a report to him. He will transmit the report to Congress.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, an advocate of federalism like Duterte, said the creation of the review committee would speed up the work of lawmakers in rewriting the Charter to shift the nation to the federal system.

“With the creation of the 25-member con-com that will revisit the Constitution and come up with proposed amendments for consideration by the Congress convening as constituent assembly (con-ass), the executive and legislative branches of government could now put the federal switch on the fast lane at the onset of 2017,” he said.

He stressed the Charter review “would keep on schedule President Duterte’s goal of facilitating the federal shift on his watch.”

Villafuerte noted that Duterte publicly expressed in Davao City his hope that Congress could finish the shift to the federal system before his six-year term ends, and his willingness to accept a shortened stay in office.

“With this timetable, Congress, sitting as a constituent assembly, can wrap up the proposed amendments by 2018 and the government can hold a plebiscite the following year to seek the people’s approval of the constitutional changes,” Villafuerte said.

He said the plebiscite could be conducted together with the 2019 midterm elections to save public funds.

He said the con-com’s creation would also “allow Congress to focus on urgent legislative measures without taking too much of its time holding endless debates on proposed amendments to the Constitution.”

He added that once the Charter review report is submitted to Congress, lawmakers could convene as a legislative body in the morning and work on revising the Constitution in the afternoon, Mondays through Fridays if necessary.

Villafuerte had advocated the election of a constitutional convention to do Charter change but has changed his mind when the House committee on constitutional amendments approved the con-ass mode.

“Con-ass is the cheaper and faster option. It will save the government billions that can be used for programs meant to foster high and inclusive economic growth,” he said.

Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has re-filed his resolution that seeks to change the Charter’s economic provisions. He is proposing that Congress be empowered to relax foreign ownership restrictions in the future.

Belmonte’s resolution does not call for changing any of the political provisions.

At least two other measures – authored by Reps. Alfredo Benitez of Negros Occidental and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City – seek the revision of both the political and economic provisions of the Charter.

The two are advocating a shift to the parliamentary system. Benitez’s proposal is a mix of parliamentary-presidential with a two-chamber legislature, while Rodriguez wants a pure parliamentary setup with a unicameral parliament.