Con-ass possible by January, says House panel

The House of Representatives committee on constitutional amendments thinks it’s possible for Congress to convene into a constituent assembly (Con-ass) as early as January.

In a statement, Rep. Roger Mercado said he was “confident” that the process of tackling a federal Constitution would “be expedited and be ready by or before January 2018.”

Mercado said his committee would submit the draft federal Constitution to the committee on rules within this month.

The draft Charter, a copy of which has not yet been released, builds upon the proposal of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) Federalism Institute, a think tank of the ruling party.

“It is consistent with the ideas of President Duterte on what the new Charter ought to have and contains solutions to the country’s economic problems, especially poverty, the peace and order solution, and the fight against illegal drugs,” Mercado said.

Under the draft Charter submitted by the PDP-Laban Federalism Institute, the country would shift to a parliamentary form of government with a directly elected President serving a five-year term and eligible to run for reelection once.

A Prime Minister would be nominated by the President from the so-called Federal Assembly. The 400-member national legislative authority would be one of the two houses of Parliament, the other being the Senate which represents regional governments.