No mention of charter change in President’s IATF, Cabinet meetings, says Nograles

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has not mentioned anything about charter change in meetings with any of his Cabinet members, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Thursday.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte confers with Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles during the meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) at Malacañang Palace in this file photo taken on March 12, 2020. RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Charter change or “cha-cha” is also not being tackled in the meetings of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases despite calls from a number of mayors to amend the Constitution, said Nograles who serves as the body’s chairperson.

“Wala namang binabanggit si Pangulo regarding charter change. It’s not something that he’s talked about or spoken to anyone of us about,” Nograles said in an interview on ANC.

(The President has not mentioned anything regarding charter change. It’s not something that he’s talked about or spoken to anyone of us about.)

“Hindi namin pinaguusapan sa IATF yung tungkol sa charter change. Dahil alam naman po namin that’s really within the realm of Congress,” he also said.

(We, in the IATF, are not discussing charter change. We know that it’s within the realm of Congress.)

The League of Municipalities of the Philippines is pushing to amend the Constitution to increase local governments’ internal revenue allotment and lift restrictions on foreign investments in unspecified industries.

Malacañang, however, said charter change is not among the government’s priorities as it grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic which has so far infected at least 72,000 persons in the country.

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