Concom OKs 2-party system

MANILA, Philippines — The consultative committee of President Duterte unanimously voted yesterday to adopt a two-party system as Concom members also agreed to revise the preamble of the Constitution.

In session yesterday afternoon in Pasay City, the Concom also banned switching from one party to another or “turncoatism.”

“By these various reforms, we are hoping to develop a strong two-party system to compete in our electoral processes. It is true that a two-party system cannot be compelled by legislation, but it is equally true that it can be nurtured and developed by properly supported genuine political parties,” said former chief justice and Concom member Reynato Puno.

Unlike in the 1987 Constitution, the Concom has agreed to include the phrases “to build a permanent and indissoluble nation” and “establish a just, humane, united and progressive society under a federal government” in the preamble of the proposed Charter, ending with the phrase “Constitution of the Federal Republic of the Philippines.”

“This is not just a grandiose play of words, but a pledge by all people, a promise by all of our constituent states or regions not to secede from the new federal republic,” Puno said.