No Charter change before polls, says Tito Sotto

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that any discussion regarding the proposed shift in the form of government to a federal system would best be done after the May 2019 elections.

In a press briefing yesterday, Sotto clarified that he is neither in favor nor against Charter change, but was only saying that pushing for this before the elections would go nowhere.

He said the statement of Presidential Communications Operations Office head Martin Andanar about Charter change not yet dead but more like taking a “power nap” was a good way of describing the situation.

“The timing is really difficult. Our time is limited because of the elections so it would be easier to discuss this after the 2019 elections,” Sotto said.

He pointed out how all of the senators have agreed that they would wait for the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revisions of codes to finish its hearings on the various proposals to amend the Constitution before they would consider any discussion on this.

Many senators have openly spoken out against taking part in any process to amend the Constitution, especially at this time when the elections are coming up and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is Speaker of the House.

Asked if President Duterte would step in to try to convince the Senate to participate in the discussions on Charter change, Sotto said he does not believe he would do this because it is not his style.

“He has never done it (interfere with the work of Congress) and I don’t think he will do it now,” Sotto said. 

“If he does, we will give him the same answer — that we will study it first before discussing this in plenary,” he added.

Sotto said it would be good for the government to continue educating the public about the proposed shift to federalism in order for them to better understand what this is about.

However, he said that informing the people is one thing, but convincing them to support this is something that cannot be guaranteed.

Meanwhile, Sotto said the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) will field the party’s own senatorial candidates —including those seeking reelection — in the 2019 elections.

Sotto, a leader of the NPC, said the party has a shortlist of 15 names of its possible senatorial candidates that is expected to be trimmed to 12 in the coming weeks.

Among those being considered by the NPC are reelectionist Senators Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, Cynthia Villar, Joseph Victor Ejercito and Sonny Angara.

Other possible NPC senatorial candidates are Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go, Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald dela Rosa, and former senators Jinggoy Estrada and Lito Lapid.

“I’m focused on our party’s senatorial lineup and local candidates. We are in alliance with the administration but technically we are an independent third force,” Sotto told reporters.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV sees the political opposition dominating the senatorial race in next year’s elections. – With Paolo Romero