FILE PHOTO: Senator Ronald “Bato” dela. (Screengrab/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — “It’s worth the try.”
So said Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution even as he admitted it will be met with many challenges such as resistance from lawmakers, who “are more comfortable with the status quo.”
“I don’t want to offend my colleagues sa Kongreso sa upper and tsaka sa lower house. But, siguro, more of them are more comfortable with the status quo. They are enjoying the present setup. So, baka gano’n. Ayaw nilang mabago, ayaw nilang baguhin ‘yong Saligang Batas. Gusto nila tuloy-tuloy na lang ‘yan,” Dela Rosa said in an interview over ABS CB News Channel on Monday.
(I don’t want to offend my colleagues in the upper and lower chamber of the Congress. But, more of them are more comfortable with status quo. They are enjoying the present setup. So, maybe it’s like that. They don’t want to change the constitution. They want it to be as is.)
“Mahirap [i-amend ang Konstitusyon], pero it’s worth the try para naman sa kabutihan ng kinabukasan ng Pilipinas, [it’s] worth trying,” he added.
(It’s hard amending the Constitution, but it’s worth the try for the sake of the country’s future, it’s worth trying.)
He made these remarks when asked whether it would be impossible or difficult to propose amendments in the Constitution, considering that there is a new administration and there is a new set of lawmakers in the 19th Congress.
Dela Rosa also filed a bill amending the Party-List System Act, giving the Commission on Elections (Comelec) “additional powers” to disqualify party-lists “directly or indirectly” supporting terrorist groups.
“Bibigyan lang natin ng additional powers ‘yong Comelec to disqualify party-list [groups] that are identified to be supporting directly or indirectly terrorist groups. ‘Yon ang ating amendment na gusto, lalo-lalo na ‘yong mga organization prescribe[d] under the Anti-Terrorism Act,” Dela Rosa said.
(We will give Comelec additional powers to disqualify party-list groups that are identified to be directly or indirectly supporting terrorist groups. That is the amendment that we want, especially to those organizations who are prescribed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.)
Dela Rosa recently sought to institutionalize the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. — Iliana Padigos, INQUIRER.net intern