Puno backs Charter review

Former Supreme Court chief justice Reynato Puno pushes for the review of the 30-year-old 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Puno was in Cebu yesterday to speak about  the need of reforms in the Philippine political system before students from colleges and universities in Cebu City.

“More than 30 years is a long time. We have seen developments not only within the Philippines but also outside the Philippines affecting the global economy in politics, which despite the foresight of the 1987 Constitution could not had been seen further,” he said.

Puno said he supported movements that  look into the Constitution.

The former chief justice who served in SC for 17 years said that he saw many attempts of Constitution review from past administrations. He said review bodies were created but nothing concrete was pushed.

He said President Noynoy Aquino III is open to reviewing it.

Though not one of his priorities,  Puno said that they are hoping that with a strong push, the President would see the urgent need to comprehensively look at the Constitution.

Groups like Coalition for Citizens Constitution/CODE NGO and Subsidiarity Movement International also push for reforms in the Constitution.

Rowel Candelaria, assistant project manager of the coalition, said  there is a massive education drive for this.

Candelaria said  they  are going down to the ground level—to the masses—for its education campaign.

The group said it aims to lobby this in Congress.correspondent carmel loise matus