Constitutional reform connected to pandemic, says DILG

MANILA, Philippines — Amid critics questioning the timing of pushing for amendments to the Constitution, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Monday that constitutional reform is in fact connected to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya asserted that the purpose of constitutional reform is to bring countryside development.

“Is the argument now that because of the pandemic, everything should now be about the pandemic? In fact this issue is connected to the pandemic,” said Malaya.

READ: Focus on COVID-19, not charter change, Robredo tells gov’t officials

He said that the COVID-19 crisis has shown that the unequal regional economic development has been a “bane to Philippine progress.”

“We would like to push for constitutional reform so that there is greater regional development, so that next time a pandemic comes, the entire Philippine economy will not shut down just because Metro Manila is in a standstill because of a lockdown,” he explained.

According to Malaya, there should be a greater distribution of resources to the provinces so that the country can be better prepared for another future pandemic.

The DILG official likewise lamented how there always seems to be doubts on the timing and motives for proposed constitutional reform whenever it is brought up and that the provisions being proposed to be amended are not being discussed instead.

“Every time charter change, or constitutional reform, is on the table, there is always this argument: why now? Why should we discuss about it? The problem with that kind of argument is that we’ve never had a serious discussion on the issue itself. It’s always about the timing. It’s always about the alleged ulterior motives of those pushing for it,” he said.

Malaya acknowledged that others argue that one of the reasons for pushing for constitutional reform is to extend or lift term limits and prevent the holding of the 2022 elections.

“Let me state for the record that there is nothing in the CORE (constitutional reform) proposals that are being pushed for by the DILG which seeks to do away with the 2022 elections,” he said, calling the argument a “misfire.”

“When are we going to have that national conversation? In the next administration? We have been pushing this off for the past six administrations,” Malaya also said.

The official likewise pointed out that constitutional reform has always been part of the agenda of the Duterte administration and is “not a secret” or a “last minute inclusion.”

“This is just a continuation of what has always been the agenda of the administration and now that we are in the last two years of the administration, we have to give it one final push if it will push through,” he added.

Earlier, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines composed of 1,488 mayors has turned over to the DILG its resolution dated June 19 supporting amendments to the Constitution.

The LMP particularly called for the institutionalization of the Mandanas Ruling of the Supreme Court in the Constitution to ensure that regions will have continuous fair share in all the taxes collected by the national government.

It also called for the lifting of constitutional restrictions that bar foreign investors from entering certain industries to promote more employment opportunities for people in the countryside.

JE