MANILA, Philippines — Much like previous leaders of the House of Representatives under the Duterte administration, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco also favors amending the Constitution, but admits that there is not enough time to tackle it due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I would want to push for charter change,” Velasco told the Daily Tribune in an online interview. “But I think there isn’t really time for that, especially that we’re focusing all of our efforts on COVID.”
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Among the provisions that Velasco wants changed in the Constitution are term limits on elected officials, saying that the three years allotted for lawmakers to sit in the House is “very short.”
He said that this results in public officials getting sidetracked from official duties as they tend to focus on preparing for their reelection bid.
But he stressed that the legislature is better off focusing on measures to tackle the effects of COVID-19.
Not a rubber stamp
Still, he said that not all hope is lost for charter change under the Duterte administration, saying that he will consult with the president if he still wants to pursue one of his campaign promises.
“If he says that we should do it, we will do it,” Velasco said in Filipino. “I look up to our beloved president because he is far wiser than I am.”
Despite this reliance on President Rodrigo Duterte to set the legislative agenda — and even to settle power struggles in the House — Velasco maintained that the chamber cannot be considered a rubber stamp.
“We cannot be called a rubber stamp because we do our job in scrutinizing each and every legislative measure,” Velasco said.
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Malacañang has said that Duterte does not consider charter change a priority in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite this, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has rallied support from local governments for the amendment of the Constitution.