‘Duterte has laid Cha-cha to rest’

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte’s silence on federalism in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) indicated that Charter change (Cha-cha) is no longer a priority of his administration, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said yesterday.

“What’s more telling in the President’s speech is not what he said but what he did not say. That speaks volumes,” Drilon said, referring to the President’s not mentioning federalism and Charter change.

“For me, the non-inclusion of federalism indicates that Cha-cha was laid to rest yesterday. The SONA became Cha-cha’s final resting place,” Drilon said.

Duterte’s post-SONA press conference confirmed Drilon’s observation. At the briefing, Duterte conceded that Cha-cha won’t happen during his time.

“Hence, those who have plans to revive it this 18th Congress should better think twice. It will be an exercise in futility,” he said.

He also expressed support for some of Duterte’s “wish-list” to Congress, except the reimposition of the death penalty.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian also shared Drilon’s view, saying Duterte’s silence on the matter was “a silent message that Charter change is off the agenda.”

“And I think it’s a very good decision because if you talk about Charter change in the next three years, forget about these bills, forget about all of these,” Gatchalian told CNN Philippines.

But Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, an advocate of federalism in the Senate, downplayed Duterte’s failure to mention the proposed shift to a federal form of government in his SONA.

“The President promised a ‘brief SONA message,’ hence, it may have been the consequence of the effort to shorten the SONA,” Pimentel said.

He said since federalism is a basic party objective not only of PDP-Laban but also of some other parties like CDP and Partido Federal, “then that means that federalism will always be part of the political discourse and agenda for as long as these parties exist.”

Speaking to reporters after delivering his SONA, Duterte said the discussion on Charter change is “better left in conferences that are not allowed to be open to the public.”

“There are a lot of complaints. A lot of pros and cons. Mahilo ka (You will get dizzy). So better, you just talk it among yourselves and present it to the public once the package is completed,” the President said. 

Duterte said he is still pushing for federalism but admitted there are certain things that have to be clarified. He said these include the authority given to local governments and the need to have a strong president.

“Until such time that we have perfected it, there has to be a strong president with the same powers now,” Duterte said.

“As for me, I’m out of it because I think that it will pass beyond my time,” he added.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said a shift to federalism will not succeed without Congress’ support.

“What he said is it may not happen within his term. Federalism falls within changes in the Constitution,” Panelo said at a press briefing yesterday.

“If Congress is unsure, then he is just as unsure, because they’re the ones who decide – not the President,” he said in Filipino.

Panelo said Duterte could not impose his will on his allies in Congress because the President is bound by constitutional restraints.

“Each member of Congress has his own conscience, independence of mind. They have to decide on their own,” he said.

Panelo noted that lawmakers have been discussing Charter change for a long time but have yet to agree on the mode of amending the Constitution.

“Perhaps it’s better for them to discuss among themselves before they release a proposal,” Panelo said.

“What he’s (Duterte) saying is, ‘Stop arguing about this, you cannot even agree among yourselves. Just talk within yourselves and then come out with a joint statement on how you will go about amending the Charter. If you cannot do it, then let’s have people change it,’” he added.