Ex-CJ warns vs pols’ proxy delegates in Con-con

MANILA, Philippines — Only a “hybrid” constitutional convention (Con-Con) can negate attempts by unscrupulous politicians to have their “proxies” elected at large by Filipino voters, should efforts to revise the 1987 Constitution push through, a former chief justice has suggested.

“Given the seeming deterioration of our political processes, there is the lurking danger that the elected delegates to a Con-Con – and pardon me for saying this – it will just be proxies or factotums of political dynasties and economic oligarchs,” Reynato Puno warned.

The retired chief magistrate personally believes the Con-Con is still the “best way to amend or revise the Constitution,” but proposed that some delegates should be elected while others should be “appointed” either by Congress or the executive department.

In short, voters can choose the delegates once they cast their vote in the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (as lawmakers want it), while experts in various fields of endeavor (technocrats) will be strictly screened by the executive and legislative branches.

“The best way to amend the Constitution is through a Con-Con. But I’m not suggesting the traditional Con-Con where all the members are elected by the people,” Puno, a highly respected constitutionalist, told lawmakers Monday.

The former Supreme Court chief revealed this hybrid model carries no legal infirmities, and has been used in several jurisdictions abroad.

Independent opposition lawmaker Edcel Lagman, meantime, smells something fishy with the decision by the House committee on constitutional amendments to push through with Charter change despite an opposite position taken by President Marcos.

“There must be an overwhelming furtive reason why the Cha-cha caravan is rolling fast in the House of Representatives despite President Marcos’ avowal that Charter change is not in his priority agenda,” the Albay congressman said.

“It’s not that members of the supermajority coalition have finally learned to be independent of the Executive. Perhaps, it is because the President must have given his covert assent to Cha-cha even as he appears to be distancing himself from it,” Lagman suspected.

Con-con proponent Rep. LRay Villafuerte welcomed Monday’s 16-3 vote in the panel headed by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City, even as he prodded Marcos to “reconsider” his previous stand that the country doesn’t need Charter change at this point.

“We’re hoping that the committee vote for our proposal would clear the way to its swift plenary approval by the House. It is our hope, too, that with this vote, President Marcos would reconsider his position on Charter change,” the Camarines Sur congressman said.

“Given that the 60-40 ownership cap in our Constitution is apparently one deal-breaker that has turned off foreign investors despite the investment-grade ratings of the Philippines for over a decade now,” Villafuerte said. “We believe that giving priority to Cha-cha to take out this restrictive economic provision is one of the must-do’s that the President could consider to foster stronger partnerships with prospective investors leading to greater foreign direct investment inflows.”