MANILA, Philippines — It’s a “sin” to even talk about Charter change (Cha-cha) at a time the country is still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Thursday.
Drilon also vowed to oppose, along with his colleagues in the minority bloc in the Senate— Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Leila de Lima, this renewed talks of changing the Constitution.
“It will be a total waste of time. It won’t fly. Our history tells us that Cha-cha has a zero chance of success in any administration that is already in the home stretch,” Drilon said in a statement, a reiteration of his previous remarks against Cha-cha initiatives.
“It is a sin to be even talking about changing the Constitution when there is still no end in sight to the pandemic, when the government is struggling to secure funding for COVID-19 vaccines, and when the country is still reeling from the continuing impact of the pandemic and the recent typhoons,” the senator went on.
Instead of talking about Cha-cha, Drilon said the focus should be on how to bring down inflation and bring back lost jobs and livelihood opportunities.
But Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino cited the “mounting economic and health concerns brought about by the pandemic” when they sought to convene Congress as a constituent assembly (con-ass) to amend the Constitution.
Dela Rosa and Tolentino’s proposal for a con-ass is contained in a resolution filed last December.
The House of Representatives, for its parts, has scheduled the resumption of Cha-cha debates.
“It will reach a dead end in the Senate. It will be an exercise in futility,” Drilon said.
If the genuine objective is to open up the economy to attract more investments, then Congress, he said, can do it by way of amending and updating some economic laws.